HHS HealthBeat (February 18, 2011)

Middle school friends

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Who a middle schooler’s friends are can affect how the student does in school. Researchers saw the evidence in data on grades and friends in more than 1,250 students who were followed from elementary into middle school or junior high.

Marie-Helene Veronneau of the University of Oregon says students with friends who respect rules did better on grades. And she says:

``Starting to have friends who engage in problem behaviors might have negative consequences on their academic achievement throughout middle school.’’ (8 seconds)

Parents don’t always pay the closest attention to what their kids’ friends think. Veronneau says the findings underline why they should.

The study in the Journal of Early Adolescence was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011