Teen Health

Just one in 100 parents believe their kids have used prescription stimulants to boost grades, according to a new poll.

The earlier the age at which youth take their first alcoholic drink, the greater the risk of later alcohol problems.

The earlier the age at which youth take their first alcoholic drink, the greater the risk of later alcohol problems.

Toddlers living in socially-deprived areas are at the greatest risk of suffering a scald in the home, researchers at have found.

Nearly one in five children and teens found to be at risk for suicide report that there are guns in their homes, and 15 percent of those at risk for suicide with guns in the home know how to access both the guns and the bullets, according to a new study.

Many parents are putting their precious cargo at risk while driving, according to survey results.

Teens can get hundreds of text messages a day, but one message they aren't getting is that they shouldn't text and drive. Nearly 43 percent of high school students of driving age who were surveyed in 2011 reported texting while driving at least once in the past 30 days, according to a new study.

Pregnant women are advised not to smoke during pregnancy because it can harm the baby's lungs and lead to wheezing and asthma, among other problems. If a woman absolutely can't kick the habit, taking vitamin C during pregnancy may improve her newborn's lung function and prevent wheezing in the first year of life, according to a new study.

Research results imply that dieting characterized by meal skipping and fasting would be less successful than weight loss efforts characterized by intake of low energy dense healthy foods.

The HPV vaccine can prevent both cervical cancer and a nasty sexually transmitted disease in women. But emphasizing the STD prevention will persuade more young women to get the vaccine.

When teenage girls are exposed to secondhand smoke at home, they tend to have lower levels of the "good" form of cholesterol that reduces heart disease risk, according to a recent study.

Early, substantive dialogue between parents and their grade-school age children about the ills of tobacco and alcohol use can be more powerful in shaping teen behavior than advertising, marketing or peer pressure, a researcher has shown.

The teenage years may be a key period of vulnerability related to living in the "stroke belt" when it comes to future stroke risk, according to a new study.

Teenagers are risk-takers -- they're more likely than children or adults to experiment with illicit substances, have unprotected sex, and drive recklessly. But research shows that teenagers have the knowledge and ability to make competent decisions about risk. So what explains their risky behavior? Scientists argue that this risky behavior may reflect the unique effect of peer influence on the still-developing teenage brain.

Light drinking during pregnancy is not linked to adverse behavioural or cognitive outcomes in childhood, suggests a new study. This study collated data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a national study of infants born in the UK between 2000-2002, to assess whether light drinking (up to two units of alcohol per week) in pregnancy was linked to unfavourable developmental outcomes in 7-year-old children.

The transition from high school to college is a particularly vulnerable time for alcohol experimentation. A new study looks at which student characteristics may enhance parent-based interventions. Results indicate that teens who perceive their friends as more approving of alcohol consumption also seem to be more influenced by communication with their parents about drinking.

New research has led experts to suggest 12 evidence-based principles that can be used to improve contraceptive counseling of adolescents in US health care clinics, doctor's offices, and health service organizations.

New research shows that the drop in boys’ physical activity during the teenage years levels off in early adulthood.

The company you keep in junior high school may have more influence on your smoking behavior than your high school friends, according to newly published research.

Intrauterine devices are as safe for teenagers -- including those who have never given birth -- as they are for adults, according to new research.