Over the past year I have been conducting statistical analysis on many different items that are related to the health of youth. One area of interest to me has been whether excessive internet use might be associated with the mental health of young people.

I obtained a database from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Idaho, 2009. In that questionnaire there were several different items that interested me such as how much high school students use the internet for three hours or more on school days for activities other than school use. We found that when students use the internet in such excessive amounts they are 1.5 times more likely to feel sad or hopeless, 1.6 times more likely to consider suicide, 1.8 times more likely to attempt suicide, twice as likely to purposefully hurt themselves by cutting or otherwise injuring themselves, and half as likely to talk to a parent or teacher when they are feeling low or having problem.

A few years ago I was in the market for another car. The family finances dictated it be a used one. I began combing the ads in the local paper for the model I was interested in getting. Eventually, my search narrowed to two possibilities and I set up appointments to look at them both.

When I drove to the first address, I was overjoyed to see an almost showroom condition vehicle in the driveway. Surely this was the one--and in mint condition, too! After kicking the tires, talking to the owner, ascertaining the selling price and taking it for a test drive, I asked the owner for the service records. He stunned me by responding, "Service records? This car has been so trouble-free I haven't even changed the oil since it was new!"