US teens taking fewer risks with health, though drinking and unsafe sex still common
The school year is over, and public health officials have issued a report card for America's high school students.
On the whole, the marks are good. Fewer U.S. teens are having sex or using illicit drugs. (There's no mention of rock 'n' roll.) They're also less likely to drink and drive, smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol on a regular basis.
"The overall prevalence of most health-risk behaviors has moved in the desired direction," wrote a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health.
However, they added, "many high school students are engaged in health-risk behaviors associated with the leading causes of death" for their age group.
The assessment is based on data from the 2017 National Youth Risk
