Teen Health News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Long-Term Benefits of Weight-Loss Surgery in Young People

Oct. 30, 2024 — Young people with severe obesity who underwent weight-loss surgery at age 19 or younger continued to see sustained weight loss and resolution of common obesity-related comorbidities 10 years later, according to results from a large clinical ...

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Can Impact Thinking and Learning Skills, Increase Aggression Among Children, Study Shows

Oct. 28, 2024 — As cannabis is legalized and is more accessible in various forms across the country, there is increasing concern among health care providers about potential impact on children. Researchers have new ...

New Study Highlights the Dangers of Handheld Cellphone Use Among Teen Drivers

Oct. 17, 2024 — A new study found a strong association between handheld cellphone use and risky driving behaviors among newly licensed teen drivers. The study used a smartphone telematics application to track the ...

Good Physical Fitness from Childhood Protects Mental Health

Oct. 15, 2024 — A recent study found that good physical fitness from childhood to adolescence is linked to better mental health in adolescence. These results are significant and timely, as mental health problems are currently a major societal challenge, affecting ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:52pm EST

Fear of Childbirth Is Associated With Shorter Duration of Breastfeeding

Oct. 7, 2024 — The duration of breastfeeding is shorter than average among mothers with a fear of childbirth -- regardless of the mode of delivery, a new study from Finland ...

Study Identifies Link Between Prediabetes During Adolescence and Young Adulthood With the Likelihood of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Sep. 24, 2024 — A new article finds that prediabetes before conception may significantly increase the likelihood of gestational diabetes during first ...

Research Reveals Reality of Ice Age Teen Puberty

Sep. 12, 2024 — Landmark new research shows Ice Age teens from 25,000 years ago went through similar puberty stages as modern-day ...

COVID-19 Lockdowns Prematurely Aged Teenage Brains, Study Shows

Sep. 9, 2024 — New research has found that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents. This maturation was more pronounced in ...

Pregnant Women Exposed to PFAS May Be at Risk for Obesity, Heart Disease Later in Life

Sep. 5, 2024 — Women with higher levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during pregnancy may experience long-term weight gain and heart problems later ...

Probiotics During Pregnancy Shown to Help Moms and Babies

Aug. 15, 2024 — Giving probiotics to pregnant mice can enhance both the immune system and behavior of the mothers and their ...

Losing a Loved One May Speed Up Aging

July 29, 2024 — Losing someone close, like a family member, can make you age faster. The study found that people who lost a parent, partner, sibling, or child, showed signs of older biological age compared to those ...

Researchers Find Biological Clues to Mental Health Impacts of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure

July 5, 2024 — Researchers outline some of the intermediate biological steps that could play into how prenatal cannabis exposure leads to behavioral issues down the ...

Just 4% of Teen Academy Prospects Play Elite Soccer (Football)

June 27, 2024 — Just four per cent of talented teen academy prospects make it to the top tier of professional football, a new study has shown. A sample of nearly 200 players, aged between 13-18, also revealed only ...

New Study Reveals Links Between Social Anxiety, Depression and Suicidal Thoughts in Adolescents

June 10, 2024 — A longitudinal study using a big dataset of 2,400 young people recruited from the UK found that social anxiety symptoms (measured at the outset) were ...

Nearly 6 Percent of Pregnant Women Report Marijuana Use, U.S. Study Finds

Oct. 30, 2024 — A new study, using responses from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, has found that about 6 percent of pregnant women reported using marijuana during the last month, and many did not ...

Dramatic Drop in Marijuana Use Among U.S. Youth Over a Decade (2011 to 2021)

Oct. 28, 2024 — Using a national survey of 88,183 adolescents in grades nine to 12, findings show marijuana use declined from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021, with first-time use before age 13 dropping from 8.1% to ...

Innovative Modeling Aims to Curb Teen Drunken Driving Fatalities

July 29, 2024 — New research is shedding new light on the complex issue of drinking and driving among teens and young adults in the ...

Last Decade Saw Big Decrease in Teens Who Used Commonly Prescribed and Misused Prescription Drugs

July 25, 2024 — Since 2009, U.S. high school seniors have reported steep declines in medical use, misuse and availability of the three most commonly prescribed and misused controlled substances for teens, a new ...

Decline in Global Adolescent Fertility Rates Is Counteracted by Increasing Teen Births in Sub-Saharan Africa, Study Finds

July 16, 2024 — A new report highlights a troubling trend: while global adolescent fertility rates have significantly declined, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an increase in teen births. This region's share ...

Study Reveals High Rate of Drowsy Driving by Teens

June 4, 2024 — A new study found that drowsy driving by teenagers is a common threat to public safety on U.S. ...

Study Links Household Chaos With Sleep Quality Among Teens With ADHD Symptoms

May 31, 2024 — A new study found that household chaos and sleep hygiene are important factors in the relationship between sleep quality and ADHD symptoms in ...

Social Media Use and Sleep Duration Connected to Brain Activity in Teens

May 30, 2024 — A new study found a distinct relationship between sleep duration, social media usage, and brain activation across brain regions that are key for executive control and reward ...

Do Epilepsy Medications Taken During Pregnancy Affect a Child's Creativity?

May 29, 2024 — While older drugs for epilepsy, taken while pregnant, have been shown in previous research to affect the creative thinking of children, a new study finds no effects on creativity for children born to ...

Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution Associated With Increased Mental Health Risks

May 28, 2024 — A baby's exposure to air pollution while in the womb is associated with the development of certain mental health problems once the infant reaches adolescence, new research has found. The study ...

1 in 4 Parents Say Their Teen Consumes Caffeine Daily or Nearly Every Day

May 20, 2024 — A quarter of parents report that caffeine is basically part of their teen's daily life, according to a new national ...

Teens Who View Their Homes as More Chaotic Than Their Siblings Have Poorer Mental Health in Adulthood

May 8, 2024 — Adolescents who view their households as more unstructured, disorganized, or hectic than their siblings develop more mental health and behavioral problems in early adulthood, according to new ...

Sedentary Lifestyle Puts Strain on Young Hearts

May 7, 2024 — According to a recent study, high levels of sedentary behavior and physical inactivity from childhood strain the heart in adolescence. High cardiac workload predicts heart failure and other heart ...

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 ...

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 relationship works both ways: those with perinatal ...

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 cardiometabolic health issues, according to a new ...

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 ...

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 ...