FEWER TEENAGERS ARE ENGAGING IN RISKY BEHAVIOR, RESEARCHERS SAY

WASHINGTON -- The number of teenagers engaging in risky behavior -- from
taking drugs to fighting to having sex -- declined steadily in the last
decade, according to an Urban Institute study released Tuesday.

The study by the non-partisan Washington think tank found that adolescents
are more likely to abstain from risky behavior now than they have been at
any point in the last 10 years.

But the findings show a disturbing exception to this trend: Among Latino
youths, participation in multiple forms of risky behavior increased
dramatically. The number of Latino teens engaging in five or more risky
activities increased nearly 50 percent from 1991 to 1997.

``There is a need for more focused research on Hispanic students,'' said
Laura Lindberg, the report's lead author.

Commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to examine
the issue of teen risk-taking, the study was based on surveys of
adolescents done during the 1990s. It identified 10 risk behaviors and
tracked the proportion of teenagers engaged in one or more of them. Those
behaviors include regular tobacco use, marijuana and cocaine use, suicide
attempts and suicidal thoughts, binge drinking and sexual intercourse.

The study aimed to examine changes in teens' behavior over the decade and
to analyze the incidence of multiple risk-taking among teens, Lindberg
said. By highlighting patterns of behavior among risk-takers, the
researchers hope to help educators and community workers with the job of
keeping teens out of trouble.

The report also determined the proportion of student risk-takers who
participate in ``positive'' social activities, such as attending religious
services, playing team sports and spending time with their families. Even
among students engaging in five or more risk behaviors, the study found
that 81 percent also engage in at least one positive behavior.

``Risk and positive behaviors do co-occur,'' Lindberg said. She emphasized
the potential for educating risk-prone teens as long as they engage in
positive activities.

The findings show that for the general population, the share of teens
abstaining from all 10 risky behaviors jumped from 20 percent to 25
percent, with the most recent data suggesting that the vast majority of
adolescents engage in either none or just one of them.

Moreover, according to Lindberg, a minority of youths take the majority of
risks -- that is, the 28 percent of teens who participate in multiple risky
behaviors account for most of the risk-taking done by adolescents.

Lindberg stressed that a parent who discovers a child engaging in one risky
behavior -- smoking, for instance -- should be on the lookout for others.
And though the number of teens taking no risks has increased, she said, the
proportion of teens who engage in five to 10 of the risk behaviors
identified in the study has not changed significantly over the past 10 years.