
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 7, 1995                   TAG: 9506070068
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHICAGO                                 LENGTH: Short

RESEARCHERS: TEEN HEALTH IS ON DECLINE

The health of America's youth is going downhill, spurred by violence, pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse, doctors say in a bleak review of the latest research.

The recent trends continue a decades-long decline in adolescent health, Drs. Michele D. Wilson and Alain Joffe of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore said in today's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

In studies published in the past year:

One in four youngsters ages 10-16 queried nationwide in 1993 reported being assaulted or abused within the previous year, and one in 10 reported being sexually abused or assaulted.

Among suburban teens in Colorado and Ohio, 14 percent of girls and 44 percent of boys reported being hit or punched at school.

Being a victim of sexual abuse or assault is linked to higher rates of alcohol use, sexual promiscuity and other risky behavior.

Surveys published last year suggest positive relationships with parents help adolescents resist alcohol and tobacco, while friends' substance abuse is directly related to adolescents' own use of alcohol and other drugs.

by CNB