Teens have unprotected sex, drunk driving and vaping, among other risky behaviors, says CDC

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(CNN) - Young people are at pretty great risks, according to several new studies on youth behavior published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Teens only use condoms about half the time when they have sex, they don't always wear seat belts when driving, more than a third admit to texting while driving, and a third say they vape, according to the annual survey of teens of teens. CDC.

Every two years, CDC collects data from a nationally representative sample of public and private high school students in grades 9-12 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

It is part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which began to monitor the health behaviors of young people in 1990 in areas such as tobacco, alcohol and drug use; unhealthy diets and lack of exercise; sexual activities leading to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; and unintentional injuries and violence.

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Risks of early pregnancy

More than 27% of high school students nationwide said they had been sexually active in the past three months before the question was asked. The good news: Nearly 90% of sexually active students said they had used a condom or primary birth control method in their last sexual relationship.

Condoms were the most popular contraceptive, and just over half (54%) of teens said they had used a condom the last time they had sex.

However, one-fifth of adolescents reported using only the withdrawal method, which is very ineffective, or using no contraceptive.

Avoiding pregnancy prevention was more common among non-Hispanic black youth (23.2%), followed by Hispanic youth (12.8%) compared to non-Hispanic white students (6.8%).

Adolescent birth rates in the United States remain much higher than rates in similar Western industrialized countries. CDC encouraged educators to step up their efforts to improve condom and contraceptive use among teens.

High risk of sexually transmitted diseases

When it came to protecting themselves against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), only 9% of sexually active students had used a condom with a more effective contraceptive method, which is what experts recommend.

"Only about half of sexually active students reported using condoms in their last sexual relationship, which is concerning given the high risk of sexually transmitted diseases among this population," the report said.

Adolescents and young adults account for more than 50% of newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections, despite being only about 25% of the sexually active population, said pediatrician Dr. Laura Grubb, author of the new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), published last month, on barrier protection for teens during sex.

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They also account for one in five of all new HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) diagnoses in the United States, according to the CDC.

Condoms and other forms of barrier protection can address both problems. (However, the CDC says that "natural" or "lambskin" condoms, while protecting against pregnancy, may not protect against HIV or a sexually transmitted infection.)

The AAP supports the "provision of free or low-cost barrier methods within communities, including the provision of barrier methods within clinics," the policy says.

"It doesn't have to be a controversial position," Grubb said. “There is no evidence that providing adolescents with contraception makes them more sexually active or promotes risky behaviors.

"In fact, comprehensive, evidence-based sex education results in adolescents delaying sexual behavior, using contraception in the first sexual relationship, and having fewer sexual partners at an early age," he added.

The risk of vaping is high

Nearly a third of the students (32.7%) surveyed said they vaped in 2019, despite educational efforts to get minors to quit smoking or not start using e-cigarettes. That's a big increase from 13.2% in 2017, said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association (ALA).

Only 6% of adolescents reported that they smoked tobacco cigarettes; almost 6% said they smoked cigars. Only about 4% said they used smokeless tobacco.

Despite the reported reduction in tobacco use, the 'dramatic increase in youth vaping led to a nearly doubling of overall tobacco product use among high school students from 19.5% in 2017 to 36.5% , in 2019, "Wimmer said in a statement.

However, recent research found that nearly half of teens said they were seriously thinking about quitting, while nearly 25% said they tried to quit but failed, according to new research.

It can be harder for teens to kick the habit because their developing brain is more susceptible than that of mature adults.

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"The part of the brain that makes rational decisions loses out to the more instinctive parts and people find themselves using nicotine even when they really want to quit smoking," said Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the Teen Addiction and Substance Use Program from Children's Hospital Boston and associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, in an earlier interview with CNN.

That is why teens are at high risk for nicotine addiction and switching to cigarettes. And that's even more concerning now, as people who are addicted to nicotine are at a higher risk of complications from Covid-19.

For Wimmer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a unique opportunity to reverse this increase in youth use by denying permission for any flavored tobacco product to remain in the market. market when you review requests due to the agency on September 9.

"In the meantime, our states and communities must act to fill the void left by the FDA's inaction in passing state and local laws to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products," he added.

Substance abuse

Nearly 30% of students surveyed last year said they currently drank alcohol, while 3.7% admitted to binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks per occasion for a man or four or more drinks for a woman.

Nearly 22% of teens said they currently use marijuana, and just over 7% said they are currently abusing prescription opioids.

One in seven high school students said they had abused a prescription opioid at least once in their life.

"Other substance use, particularly current use of alcohol and marijuana, was common among students currently abusing prescription opioids," the report said.

Dangers when driving

Young people were also taking great risks on the roads. During 2019, 43% of the country's high school students said they did not always wear a seatbelt when riding in the car when someone else was driving.

Even though the legal age for alcohol consumption is 21, drinking and driving is a concern for teens in this age group. Almost 17% had traveled in a car with a driver who had been drinking in the 30 days prior to the survey. Of the 60% who drove last month, 5.4% had a drink before getting behind the wheel.

Distracted driving continues to be a problem for teens. Almost 40% admitted to emailing or texting while driving in the 30 days prior to the survey. In fact, car accidents in 2018 were the leading cause of death for teens.

Suicide and violence

A supplement to the CDC report looked at suicide risk behavior among teens and found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens continue to experience more violence than their heterosexual peers; they also continue to be at increased risk for suicide.

About 23% of them said they had attempted suicide compared to 5% of heterosexual students. Bullying was also a problem: One third of LGBTQ children reported being bullied, compared to 17% of straight students.

Children reported significantly more reports of threats or injuries with a weapon at school. Almost 12% said that in 2015 they had been threatened; in 2019 it was almost 16%. The rates of violence have remained practically the same during the years 2015 to 2019, with the exception of dating violence, which decreased during that period.

- For help, call the US National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There is also a crisis text line. For crisis assistance in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.

- For assistance in cases of depression and suicide in Latin American countries and Spain, consult the help lines here.

Sexually Transmitted Diseasesvaping