America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008

Behavior

Adolescent participation in high-risk or illegal behaviors can have severe, long-term consequences for our youth and our society. These behaviors include cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, using illicit drugs, engaging in sexual activity, and participating in violent crimes.

Cigarette smoking has serious health consequences; it is estimated that more than 6 million of today's underage smokers will die of tobacco-related illnesses.³¹ Cigarette smoking rates among adolescents have reached their lowest levels since the inception of the survey that measures these rates.³² In 2007, 3 percent of 8th-graders reported smoking cigarettes daily over the past 30 days, down from 4 percent in 2006 (Figure 10). This percentage is a decline from 1996, when 10 percent of 8th-graders reported smoking cigarettes daily. In 2007, 7 percent of 10th-graders and 12 percent of 12th-graders reported smoking cigarettes daily—down from peaks of 18 percent of 10th-graders in 1996 and 25 percent of 12th-graders in 1997.

Figure 10 Percentage of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who reported smoking cigarettes daily over the past 30 days by grade, 1980–2007

Alcohol use by adolescents can also have severe consequences: its use is associated with motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and deaths; problems in school; and fighting and crime.³³ Early onset of heavy drinking, defined here as five or more alcoholic beverages in a row during a single occasion in the previous 2 weeks, may be especially problematic, potentially increasing the likelihood of these negative outcomes. Heavy drinking declined from 15 percent in 1995 to 10 percent in 2007 for 8th-graders, from 24 to 22 percent for 10th-graders, and from 30 to 26 percent for 12th-graders.

Recent illicit drug use among youth changed little from 2006 to 2007. In 2007, 7 percent of 8th-graders, 17 percent of 10th-graders, and 22 percent of 12th-graders reported illicit drug use in the past 30 days (Figure 11). These statistics represent declines from peaks of 15 percent for 8th-graders and 23 percent for 10th-graders in 1996, and 26 percent for 12th-graders in 1997.

Figure 11 Percentage of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who have used illicit drugs in the previous 30 days by grade, 1980–2007

Early sexual activity is associated with emotional^{34, 35} and physical health risks. Youth who engage in sexual activity are at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and becoming pregnant. The percentage of students in grades 9–12 who reported ever having had sexual intercourse declined from 54 percent in 1991 to 46 percent in 2001 and remained stable from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, 18 percent of students in grades 9–12 who had sexual intercourse in the past 3 months reported that they or their partner had used birth control pills before their last sexual intercourse and 63 percent reported condom use. While there was no statistically significant change in the use of birth control pills, condom use among high school students has increased from 1991 (from 46 percent to 63 percent).

One measure of youth violence in society is the rate of serious crimes by youth perpetrators. In 2005, the rate of serious violent crime³⁶ offenses was 17 crimes per 1,000 juveniles ages 12–17, totaling 437,000 such crimes involving juveniles. While this is somewhat higher than the 2004 rate of 14 crimes per 1,000 juveniles, it is significantly lower than the rate of 52 crimes per 1,000 juveniles in 1993.