Teen Health News

April 23, 2024

Top Headlines

Family and Media Pressure to Lose Weight in Adolescence Linked to How People Value Themselves Almost Two Decades Later

Apr. 15, 2024 — People who as teenagers felt pressure to lose weight from family or from the media, females, people who are not heterosexual, and people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, are most at risk of ...

Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Youth Is Associated With Decreased Work Ability Throughout Adulthood

Apr. 8, 2024 — A study confirms the concerns raised in the public domain about how young people's decreased fitness may affect their future work ability. The association of low youth cardiorespiratory fitness and ...

2 in 3 Parents Say Their Adolescent or Teen Worries About How Sick Days May Impact Grades

Mar. 25, 2024 — Many parents recognize increasing mental health concerns among children, reflected by the 1 in 5 who say they're open to allowing a child to take a mental health ...

More Intense Exercise Reduces Post-Concussion Anxiety in Teens

Feb. 20, 2024 — Returning to moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after a concussion may play a vital role in helping teens feel less anxious while recovering from the injury, according to a new ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:45pm EDT

Positive Associations Between Premenstrual Disorders and Perinatal Depression

Mar. 28, 2024 — Women affected by premenstrual disorders have a higher risk of perinatal depression compared with those who do not, according to new research. The ...

Earlier Puberty Onset May Be One of the Ways That Childhood Risk Factors Affect Adult Cardiometabolic Health

Mar. 27, 2024 — Experiencing puberty earlier, compared to same-age peers, may be one of the mechanisms through which childhood risk factors influence adult ...

Vittrup Man Crossed Over from Forager to Farmer Before Being Sacrificed in Denmark

Feb. 14, 2024 — Vittrup Man was born along the Scandinavian coast before moving to Denmark, where he was later sacrificed, according to a new ...

Researchers Find Early Symptoms of Psychosis Spectrum Disorder in Youth Higher Than Expected

Jan. 30, 2024 — A new study has found evidence that Psychosis Spectrum Symptoms (PSS) are often present in youth accessing mental health ...

Childhood Stress Linked to Higher Risk of High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Diabetes in Adults

Jan. 17, 2024 — Young adults who reported higher stress as adolescents were more likely to have high blood pressure, obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors ...

Older Adults With Newly Diagnosed Migraine Disorder Three Times More Likely to Have Motor Vehicle Crash

Jan. 3, 2024 — A new study finds that older adult drivers who are recently diagnosed with migraines are three times as likely to experience a motor vehicle crash. ...

Poor Diet Quality During Adolescence Is Linked to Serious Health Risks

Dec. 13, 2023 — Diet quality among adolescents in the United States is among the worst across all age groups, putting young people at risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, among other cardiometabolic diseases ...

Discrimination During Pregnancy May Alter Circuits in Infants' Brains

Dec. 7, 2023 — Racial discrimination and bias are painful realities and increasingly recognized as detrimental to the health of adults and children. These stressful experiences also appear to be transmitted from ...

High Levels of Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Linked to Children's Behavior Problems

Nov. 16, 2023 — Children whose mothers are highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy may be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues during ...

Hormonal Contraceptives in Teens May Alter Risk Assessment, Rat Study Suggests

Nov. 13, 2023 — Hormonal contraceptives taken by adolescents may influence development of the brain in a way that alters the recognition of risks, a new study in ...

Asthma Rates Climb for High School Students as Cannabis Use Increases

Jan. 30, 2024 — Asthma is more common among high school students who use cannabis, relative to those who do not and the prevalence of asthma increases with the frequency of its use among the students, according to a ...

About 22 High School Age Adolescents in U.S. Died Each Week from Overdoses in 2022, Driven by Fentanyl-Laced Prescription Pills

Jan. 8, 2024 — An average of 22 adolescents 14 to 18 years of age died in the U.S. each week in 2022 from drug overdoses, raising the death rate for this group to 5.2 per 100,000 -- driven by fentanyl in ...

More Than 4 Hours of Daily Smartphone Use Associated With Health Risks for Adolescents

Dec. 6, 2023 — In a new study of more than 50,000 Korean adolescents, those who used a smartphone for more than 4 hours per day had higher rates of adverse mental health and substance ...

Connectivity Scans Could Serve as Brain 'Blueprints' for Adolescents, Researchers Find

Nov. 7, 2023 — Two new studies highlight how brain imaging can be used to predict and identify cognitive outcomes and psychiatric risk in young ...

Higher Risk of 17 Cancers After High BMI in Late Teens

Nov. 6, 2023 — Men who are overweight or obese at age 18 have a higher risk of 17 different cancers later in life. This has been shown in a study at the University of Gothenburg. The research also describes how the ...

Less Physical Activity in Adolescence Likely Rooted in Biology

Nov. 2, 2023 — The slowdown of physical activity during adolescence is not likely caused by lifestyle and environment but by energy demands placed on the body as it grows and sexually matures, according to a new ...

Contraceptive Pill Users Less Likely to Report Depression

Nov. 1, 2023 — A new study has shown that women who are taking the oral contraceptive pill are less likely to report depression. The research, which analysed data from 6,239 women in the United States aged 18-55 ...

In Breakthrough Study, Researchers Map Converging Trajectories of Cognitive Development Through Adolescence

Oct. 31, 2023 — Cognitive skills underlying the ability to plan, switch from task to task and resist tempting distractions usually matures by the time an individual turns 18 years old, a new study ...

Marijuana Use May Damage Brain Immune Cells Vital to Adolescent Development, Study Suggests

Oct. 31, 2023 — In a mouse study designed to explore the impact of marijuana's major psychoactive compound, THC, on teenage brains, researchers say they found changes to the structure of microglia, which are ...

Early Behavioral Health Problems Need Earlier Interventions

Oct. 16, 2023 — Data from more than 15,000 lower-income children ages 2 to 6 reveals higher-than-expected levels of significant behavioral dysfunction. Co-authors urge increased screening, prevention programs in ...

Benefits, Risks in State-Mandated School-Based BMI Assessments

Sep. 12, 2023 — A resource economist finds mandated in-school Body Mass Index assessments adopted in varying forms by 24 states to combat childhood obesity have the potential to improve the health of some students ...

Sleep-Wake Therapy Gives New Hope for Teens With Depression

Sep. 8, 2023 — School systems aren't built for kids who fall asleep and wake up late, the so-called 'night owls,' which may help explain why this group of teens is more prone to ...

Heavy Drinking, Handgun-Carrying Linked Among Rural Youth

Aug. 23, 2023 — Alcohol use and subsequent handgun carrying were positively associated during adolescence and young adulthood among individuals who grew up in rural areas, similar to findings in urban areas. ...

Perils of Not Being Attractive or Athletic in Middle School

Aug. 10, 2023 — Life is harder for adolescents who are not attractive or athletic. New research shows low attractive and low athletic youth became increasingly unpopular over the course of a school year, leading to ...

Researchers Identify Plasma Biomarkers of Mental Health Risk in Adolescents

Aug. 1, 2023 — Researchers have identified plasma protein-based biomarkers capable of identifying adolescents at risk of developing mental health ...

New Study Links Contraceptive Pills and Depression

June 12, 2023 — Women who used combined contraceptive pills were at greater risk of developing depression than women who did not, according to a new study. Contraceptive pills increased women's risk by 73 per ...

Researchers Comprehensively Assess the Safety of Using Your Head in Youth Soccer

May 24, 2023 — Repeatedly heading a soccer ball has been previously associated with negative long-term brain health for professional players. However, a new study found that a small number of repeated soccer ...

Researchers Find Strong Adolescent-Parent Relationships Lead to Better Long-Term Health Outcomes in Young Adults

Mar. 21, 2023 — Researchers have found that adolescents who report strong relationships with their parents have better long-term health outcomes. Study findings suggest that investments in improving ...

COVID-19 Pandemic Has Long-Lasting Effects on Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Use

Mar. 14, 2023 — The COVID-19 pandemic has had a long-lasting impact on adolescent mental health and substance use, according to a new population-based study based on survey responses from a sample of over 64,000 13- ...

Hair Analysis Shows Child Drug Use Could Be Twice as High as We Think

Mar. 6, 2023 — Hair analysis could be the key to understanding adolescent drug usage, as a new study uncovers almost double the number of children were found to be using substances than those who admitted to in a ...