Family Meals Make for Teens Who Eat Healthy

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21, 2018 -- Want your teenager to eat better? Have more family meals, even if your family isn't particularly close, new research suggests.

"Gathering around the dinner table is sort of a magical thing," said lead researcher Kathryn Walton, a dietitian and Ph.D. student at the University of Guelph in Canada.

HPV Vaccination Rates Continue to Lag in U.S.

TUESDAY, Nov. 6, 2018 -- HPV vaccination rates are still too low to cut cervical cancer cases as much as is possible in the United States, a new report warns.

While HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination has increased in recent years, rates remain well below the federal government's Healthy People 2020 goal of 80 percent of age-eligible adolescents, according to the recent report.

Preteens' HPV Shot Won't Encourage Early Sex, Study Says

MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 -- Despite some parents' fears, girls who get vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) do not see it as permission to have sex, a new study finds.

HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts and cancers of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus and throat.

Sleepy Teens More Prone to Drug Use, Suicide Attempts

MONDAY, Oct. 1, 2018 -- High school students who get too little sleep are more likely than others to use drugs, drink alcohol or attempt suicide, U.S. researchers warn.

And while teenagers need eight to 10 hours of sleep nightly, only 30 percent of students report getting that amount, according to survey data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More Needs to be Done to Keep Teen Drivers Safe, Pediatricians Say

MONDAY, Sept. 24, 2018 -- Following years of decline, fatal car accidents involving teen drivers have accelerated in the United States, a leading group of U.S. pediatricians warns.

New research also reveals that teenage drivers are more likely to be involved in a serious or deadly crash than any other age group, notes the American Academy of Pediatrics.