Peer pressure and risk-taking go with the territory. Joyce Fetro , an associate professor of health education , thinks so. The findings are the kinds of headline-grabbers that make parents' blood run cold. In their lifetime, nearly half of the students had had sex, and 34 percent were considered to be sexually active. Of the latter, only 56 percent had used a condom at last intercourse.
Experimentation starts young.
Fetro has run many health-risk prevention programs and directed the CDC's National Training Center for Comprehensive School Health. Alarming though the CDC statistics are, she points out, a majority of students behave responsibly most of the time. Many health educators, like Fetro, suggest that preventing risky behavior begins with understanding what sets these students apart. They also tend to have good problem-solving and communication skills, including the ability to get along with other people. To become healthy, productive adults, kids need these and related skills, such as the ability to make thoughtful decisions, set goals, manage stress, and think critically.