Sarah Boseley, health editor of The Guardian has this to report on the teenagers of the UK ::
20% of young people aged 13-16 are overweight
25% of 15 and 16 year olds smoke
1 in 5 adolescents may have had psychological problems
10% of teenagers between 16 and 19 may be infected with chlamydia
3% of women conceive under the age of 20
15% or fewer girls aged 13 to 15 eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables
11% of those between 11 and 15 in England have used drugs at least once in the last year
10.5 units of alcohol are consumed each week on average by those aged 11-15 in England who drink
4% of young people aged 11-15 say they have used class A drugs in the last year
13 of every 100,000 people aged 15-19 commit suicide each year
26% of 16- to19-year-old women first had intercourse before the age of 16, compared with 30% of men
The figures are very disturbing, though we just cannot extrapolate the UK figures to the local scene. A life of drugs, booze, junk food and sexual promiscuity is leading adolescents towards record obesity and infertility, warn UK doctors. These teenagers are falling through the gap between services provided for those who are younger or older than they are. There is obviously a need for a service which targets these teenage time bombs.
The Funnies, The Spins, The Humourous and The Humourless......
"I do not aim at fusion. Each religion has its own contribution to make to human evolution.
I regard the great faiths of the WORLD as so many branches of a tree, each distinct from the other though having the same source.----Mahatma Ghandhi.
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