Everyone seems to be worried about youth. Indeed, many high school students throughout the United States practice behaviors that place them at risk for serious health and social problems. Male students in the U.S. were more likely than female students to report rarely or never wearing safety belts, weapon carrying, physical fighting, episodic heavy drinking, current marijuana and other drug use, four or more lifetime sex partners, and using alcohol and drugs at last sexual intercourse. In contrast, female students were more likely than male students to report suicide-related behaviors, perceiving themselves as overweight, and using risky weight-loss methods. Differences among ethnic groups have also been noted.

Whether it’s violence, alcohol or drug use, sexual activity, or school failure, youth face many pressures and choices that deeply concern us. FIRST, we need to understand as much as possible about the condition of youths in our community.

	Hawai`i 1997	US Avg. 1995
Safety: Teen violent death rate (per 100,000 teens) % from homicide % from suicide % from motor vehicle injuries	46   11 27 62	62    25 16 59
Seriously considered suicide in 12 months preceding survey* Male Female	27   19.4 35.4	24.1%
Attempted suicide during 12 months preceding survey Male Female	12   6.3 17.1	9
% Threatened or injured with weapon at school*	6	8
Health: Currently smoke cigarettes* Male Female	29 27.4 30.7	35
Ever had sexual intercourse* Male Female Currently sexually active (last 3 months)* Male Female Teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females ages 15-17 only) Having 5/+ drinks of alcohol on 1 day in last 30* Male Female	40 35.8 44.8 26 19.3 32.6 28 25 29.1 20.6	53     38   34 33
Used marijuana in 30 days preceding survey* Male Female	24   27.0 21.6	25
Other: Teens who are high school dropouts Teens not attending school and not working (ages 16-19)	5 10	10 9

*Data from 1997 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey; Hawaii=1997; U.S. Average=1995)