REPORT ON YOUTHS LOOKING BETTER

There's welcome news about young peoples' healthy choices.

The kids (most of them) are all right (mostly). Twenty-first century
American teenagers may be pudgier than in the past, but they're less
likely to abuse drugs, get drunk, smoke, commit a violent crime or
get pregnant.

The annual Monitoring the Future survey reported generally good news
for eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders. In particular, eighth-graders
are making wiser health choices.

In 1996, 21 percent of eighth-graders were smokers; that's dropped to
7 percent. Meanwhile, disapproval of smoking has soared.

"If this change in attitude is carried with them throughout the rest
of their teen years, we could see a dramatic drop in smoking-related
deaths in their generation," said Nora D. Volkow, director of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, which co-sponsors the survey.

Illegal drug use has been declining steadily for all age groups, led
by large drops in the use of methamphetamines and marijuana.

However, prescription drug abuse is increasing: 15.4 percent of
12th-graders abuse medications. In addition, binge drinking - five or
more drinks in a row in the two weeks before the survey - remains
high. An alarming 21.9 percent of 10th-graders and 25.9 percent of
12th-graders admit to a binge.

Despite lurid news stories - six Las Vegas students shot at a school
bus stop - teen violence rates have declined sharply since the '90s.

The teen birth rate, which fell significantly for 14 years, climbed
again in 2006.

The clearest problem is childhood and teen obesity, which tripled
from 1980 to 2000: About 15 percent of young people 6 to 19 years old
are overweight. While adult obesity rates have leveled off, kids are
still gaining.

Many schools are starting to clear high-sugar snacks from the vending
machines, serve less macaroni surprise in the cafeteria and ramp up
physical education.

But there's a limit to what can be done at school or through media
campaigns. Children's well-being starts at home, whether through diet
or more closely monitoring those prescription drugs.