Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 8, 1990 TAG: 9006080118
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
"For the first time in the history of this country, young people are less healthy and less prepared to take their places in society than were their parents," the 59-page report concluded. "And this is happening at a time when our society is more complex, more challenging and more competitive than ever before."
The report - titled "Code Blue," the term used in hospitals to signify a life-threatening emergency - warned that problems among adolescents, those aged 10 to 18, are not only found in low-income neighborhoods, but also in middle-class and well-to-do communities.
"In every community, we are seeing significant numbers of young people with serious social and emotional problems, the consequences of which range from high suicide-attempt rates - 10 percent of boys and 18 percent of girls - to depression and alienation resulting in anti-social behavior, poor school performance and [high] dropout [rates]," the report said.
Two-income and single-parent families, changes in society and a lack of neighborhood cohesiveness that have "left many children on their own and more isolated from adults," bear the blame for many of the emotional and physical problems teens face today, the report said.
It urged new attitudes toward dealing with children's physical and mental-health problems at the federal, community and private levels.
The report was prepared by a 36-member commission of educators and physicians as well as political, religious and community leaders appointed by the American Medical Association and the National Association of State Boards of Education. Much of its work was shaped by a conference on adolescent health held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta and field trips to Dade County, Fla., and the state of Vermont.
Among its findings:
Many children are turning to alcohol and drugs for entertainment and relief from stress. Nearly 40 percent of high-school seniors surveyed reported getting drunk within the previous two weeks, and more than 3.5 million 12- to 17-year-olds had tried marijuana. One-third said they were regular users.
One result is that drinking and driving was the leading adolescent killer, with 10 teens a day killed in alcohol-related incidents.
Sexual activity among children is occurring at younger and younger ages, causing increased numbers of teen pregnancies and the spread of AIDS and the HIV virus. In 1965, 3 percent of girls said they were sexually active before their 16th birthday; in 1982 that had increased to 13 percent and may be even higher today.
One teen-age girl out of 10 becomes pregnant each year - more than 1 million annually - a rate at least twice as high as in other industrialized countries.
The combination of pervasive drug use and sexual activity has led to vast numbers of babies being born already exposed to drugs - more than 375,000 last year.
Violence pervades young people's daily lives. Every day, about 135,000 students bring guns to school. Homicide is the leading cause of death among blacks aged 15 to 19.
Every year more than 2 million children and adolescents are reported abused or neglected; more than 500,000 run away or become homeless, and another 500,000 are placed in foster homes or institutions.
The increase in the number of working mothers has not translated to economic prosperity for children. In 1960, nearly 40 percent of mothers with school-aged children worked outside the home; by 1987 it was 70 percent. Yet the percentage of children in families with incomes below the poverty level jumped from about 14 percent in 1969 to 23 percent in 1989.
The commission recommended creation of a "Neighborhood Health Corps" of paid, non-professional health workers to help adolescents and their families use health and other services.
Schools are urged to play a stronger role in improving students' health by offering "a new type of health education that provides honest, relevant information" - including sex and drug education.
The commission also recommended major changes in governmental and private insurance programs to guarantee access to family, social and psychological health services to all adolescents regardless of ability to pay.
by CNB