School truancy may be a strong signal of depressed kids.

Do you know a young person that is truant? It could be because they are depressed. Research has found that students who are depressed are more likely to miss school. Missing a lot of school days can lead to academic failure and isolation which can increase depression. 

PositiveTip: Teachers and parents, be aware of possible depression signaled by skipping school, then seek professional help if needed. 

Synthetic marijuana use may cause heart attacks in teens.

Myocardial infaction is very rare in teens, but physicians are now reporting that K2, a designer drug made from a collection of herbs and spices treated with a sythetic cannabinoid, is causing insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle of teens with no previous health problems or family history. K2 gives a marijuana-like effect without showing up on drug screens and is surprisingly easy to obtain.

PositiveTip: Parents and physicians should discourage teens from using any real or synthetic drugs.

Banning only soda sales in schools appears to have been ineffective.

Bans on the sale of sugar sweetened beverages in schools have not reduced overall consumption of sweetened beverages by students. Youth are very adept at finding ways to compensate with drinks purchased at convenience stores and other locations. Data from this logitludinal study of a nationally representative group of middle-schoolers raises questions as to the best way to reduce total consumption of these beverages.

PositiveTip: Remember, sports drinks and fruit juice contain as many calories as sugar-sweetened sodas. Water is usually the best beverage choice.

Alcohol use contributes to the top three causes of death in 12-20 year olds.

Drinking alcohol contributes to the three leading causes of death among persons aged 12–20 years: unintentional injury, homicide and suicide.

PositiveTip: Avoid all alcoholic beverages, they adversely affect mental reasoning, a root cause of these three causes of death.

Teens may drink healthy beverages, but they still have too many sugary ones.

Almost three-quarters of 11,429 U.S. teens who responded to a national survey, reported drinking at least one glass of water each day during the previous week. Forty-two percent drank a daily glass of milk and 30% drank some kind of 100% fruit juice. However, 24.3% of teens reported drinking at least one sugar-sweetened soda every day, 16.1% used sports drinks daily, and 16.9% consumed another type of sugar-sweetened drink every day. Diet sodas were not as popular, with only 7% drinking them each day.

PositiveTip: Parents, schools and teens should limit intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and encourage water instead!

Inadequate sleep has serious risks for teens and young adults.

Teens and young adults who don't get adequate sleep are at higher risk for automobile crashes, poor grades and performance in school, depressed moods, and problems with peer and adult relationships.

PositiveTip: Take sleep seriously, set regular times for going to sleep and waking up, and get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

Only 10% of teens get the recommended 9-10 hours of sleep per night.

In a preliminary analysis of 16,410 teens who participated in the 2009 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, researchers from the University of Arkansas found that teens who slept the least were the most likely to be the heaviest users of video games and web browsing. They also found that more than one third of teens were not getting the recommended one hour of daily exercise and only 10% achieved 9-10 hours of sleep.

PositiveTip: Sleep is vital for growth, mood, immunity and other key health factors. Are you or your teens getting enough?

Adolescent marijuana use almost doubles rate of psychotic symptoms.

European researchers have found that those who used marijuana during their teens and early 20's were nearly twice (1.9x) as likely to experience psychotic symptoms when compared to those who did not use it. Continued use during the study period was associated with a doubled risk compared to nonusers, and predicted more episodes of psychosis later in life as well.

PositiveTip: Although often promoted as a harmless high, serious risks accompany the use of marijuana.

Early smoking is associated with an 25% increased risk of breast cancer.

The Nurses's Health Study has provided 3 million person years of follow-up data which has revealed that women who smoke more than 25 cigarettes per day for more than 35 years and began smoking before age 18 had a 25% increased risk of breast cancer compared to those who never smoked.

PositiveTip: The best advice is, never start smoking. For smokers there is never a better time to quit than now!

Unhealthy lifestyle choices increase the risk of recurrent headaches in teens.

Almost 6000 teens in Norway experienced more recurrent headaches if they smoked, were overweight, and inactive. This cross-sectional study found, after controlling for confounders, that those who smoked had a 50% increased risk for headaches (migraine, tension and unclassified); overweight, a 40% increased risk, and lack of physical activity conferred a 20% increase in risk. The more unhealthy habits the teen had, the greater they were at risk for headaches.

PositiveTip: A healthy lifestyle in teens (and most likely adults, also) lowers the risk for recurrent headaches of all types.