Tag Archives: lynn fiellin

Helping adolescents understand the consequences of risky sexual behavior

Both parents and health care providers wonder: What is the best way to get through to adolescents about the dangers of risky sexual behavior? Research by investigators from Yale School of Medicine and the Yale play2PREVENT Lab finds that both positive and negative messaging may influence adolescent behavior. The study is published online in the journal Health Education Research.

The researchers write that 48% of high school students have had sex, and 6% had sex by the age of 13. Beginning sexual activity at an early age increases the risk of multiple partners, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A full half of all new sexually transmitted infections in the United States occur in individuals aged 15 to 25. (more…)

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Teens Who Smoke and Drink May be More Likely to Abuse Prescription Opioids Later

Adolescents who smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or marijuana may be at greater risk for subsequent abuse of prescription opioids as young adults, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine.

The researchers believe their findings are the first to demonstrate that early alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use are all associated, to varying degrees, with a two- to-three times greater likelihood of subsequent abuse of prescription opioids. The study appears online in the Journal of Adolescent Health. (more…)

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