Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

March 2018 – It isn’t often the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are able to publish good news. But a recent survey from the government agency reveals a 10-year trend of fewer teens engaging in risky behavior, including sex, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and using marijuana.

Researchers attribute the decline to multiple factors. They also note that 2013-2015 saw the steepest decline.

Kathleen A. Ethier, one of the study’s authors and CDC director of adolescent and school health, said, “We do know that sexual risk, substance use, and other behaviors have common risk and protective factors, and that youth development approaches, parental monitoring, and connectedness are protective across these behaviors and experiences.”

washingtonpost.com, 1/4/18