It goes without saying that making the transition to adulthood isn’t easy, and we seem to have inborn tendencies to be self destructive. That doesn’t mean that every new generation is worse than the last. The Centers for Disease Control recent issued a report, “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2009”, which shows lots of bright signs in terms to trends in teen behavior. You just have to slog through the bad news of levels of risky behavior first.
Jumping to the trends, here some:
Trends During 1991–2009
Behaviors that Contribute to Unintentional Injuries
During 1991–2009, a significant linear decrease occurred in the percentage of students who rarely or never wore a seat belt (25.9%–9.7%), who rarely or never wore a motorcycle helmet (42.9%–31.9%), and who rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (39.9%–28.3%). … The percentage of students who drove when they had been drinking alcohol did not change significantly during 1991–1997 (16.7%–16.9%) and then decreased during 1997–2009 (16.9%–9.7%). …
Behaviors that Contribute to Violence
The percentage of students who carried a weapon decreased during 1991–1999 (26.1%–17.3%) and then did not change significantly during 1999–2009 (17.3%–17.5%). … The percentage of students who had been in a physical fight decreased during 1991–2003 (42.5%–33.0%) and then did not change significantly during 2003–2007 (33.0%–31.5%). …
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The percentage of students who felt sad or hopeless did not change significantly during 1999–2007 (28.3%–28.5%) and then decreased during 2007–2009 (28.5%–26.1%). The percentage of students who seriously considered attempting suicide decreased rapidly during 1991–1993 (29.0%–24.1%) and then decreased less rapidly during 1993–2009 (24.1%–13.8%). During 1991–2009, a significant linear decrease occurred in the percentage of students who made a suicide plan (18.6%–10.9%). …
Tobacco Use
The percentage of students who ever smoked cigarettes did not change significantly during 1991–1999 (70.1%–70.4%) and then decreased during 1999–2009 (70.4%–46.3%). … During 2001–2009, significant linear decreases occurred in the percentage of students who ever smoked cigarettes daily (20.0%–11.2%), who tried to quit smoking cigarettes (57.4%–50.8%), and who bought cigarettes in a store or gas station (19.0%–14.1%). The percentage of students who reported current cigarette use increased during 1991–1997 (27.5%–36.4%) and then decreased during 1997–2009 (36.4%–19.5%). ….
Alcohol and Other Drug Use
During 1991–2009, a significant linear decrease occurred in the percentage of students who ever drank alcohol (81.6%–72.5%). … The percentage of students who reported binge drinking did not change significantly during 1991–1997 (31.3%–33.4%) and then decreased during 1997–2009 (33.4%–24.2%)….The percentage of students who ever used cocaine increased during 1991–1999 (5.9%–9.5%) and then decreased during 1999–2009 (9.5%–6.4%), and the percentage of students who reported current cocaine use increased during 1991–2001 (1.7%–4.2%) and then decreased during 2001–2009 (4.2%–2.8%). The percentage of students who ever used inhalants decreased during 1995–2003 (20.3%–12.1%) and then did not change significantly during 2003–2009 (12.1%–11.7%). …
Age of Initiation of Risk Behaviors
The percentage of students who smoked a whole cigarette for the first time before age 13 years increased during 1991–1993 (23.8%–26.9%) and then decreased during 1993–2009 (26.9%–10.7%). … The percentage of students who drank alcohol for the first time before age 13 years did not change significantly 1991–1999 (32.7%–32.2%) and then decreased during 1999–2009 (32.2%–21.1%). …
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Sexual Behaviors that Contribute to Unintended Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Including HIV Infection
During 1991–2009, significant linear decreases occurred in the percentage of students who ever had sexual intercourse (54.1%–46.0%), who had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 years (10.2%–5.9%), who had sexual intercourse with four or more persons during their lifetime (18.7%–13.8%), and who were currently sexually active (37.5%–34.2%). The percentage of sexually active students who used a condom during last sexual intercourse increased during 1991–2003 (46.2%–63.0%) and then did not change significantly during 2003–2009 (63.0%–61.1%). The percentage of sexually active students who used birth control pills before last sexual intercourse did not change significantly during 1991–2007 (20.8%–16.0%) and then increased during 2007–2009 (16.0%–19.8%)….
Dietary Behaviors
The percentage of students who ate fruit or drank 100% fruit juices two or more times per day decreased during 1999–2005 (34.8%–30.1%) and increased during 2005–2009 (30.1%–33.9%). The percentage of students who ate fruits and vegetables five or more times per day decreased during 1999–2005 (23.9%–20.1%) and then did not change significantly during 2005–2009 (20.1%–22.3%). …
Physical Activity
During 2003–2009, a significant linear increase occurred in the percentage of students who used computers 3 or more hours per day (22.1%–24.9%). During 1999–2009, a significant linear decrease occurred in the percentage of students who watched 3 or more hours per day of television (42.8%–32.8%). …
Obesity, Overweight, and Weight Control
During 1999–2009, significant linear increases occurred in the percentage of students who were obese (10.7%–12.0%) and who were overweight (14.4%–15.8%). …