CDC: Teens Engage Less in Risky Behavior

ATLANTA (AP) _ High school students are not having sex, fighting or even smoking as often as they were a decade ago, the government said Thursday. <br/><br/>Fewer students reported having sex in 2003 (47

Friday, May 21st 2004, 10:03 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ High school students are not having sex, fighting or even smoking as often as they were a decade ago, the government said Thursday.

Fewer students reported having sex in 2003 (47 percent) than in 1991 (54 percent), according to a 43-state survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, fewer reported being in a fight (33 percent) in 2003 than in 1991 (43 percent). Smoking dropped from 28 percent to 22 percent during that time.

But students still put themselves in harm's way, the CDC said.

Nearly a third had taken a ride with a driver who had been drinking. About 45 percent drank alcohol themselves, the CDC said.

About 22 percent had used marijuana and 17 percent had carried a weapon. Those behaviors contribute to the top killers for those 10 to 24 years old: car crashes, accidental injuries, homicide and suicide.