Fewer adolescents drink, smoke or have sex than their fellows did in 1991. Although being a teenager isn’t as risky as it used to be, too many youths still put their lives and their health at risk, a report Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Risky behaviour among US teenagers continues to decline and teens are starting to act more responsibly.

80% of teens don’t smoke and drinking and drug abuse are also down.

7% of teens say they’ve attempted suicide, compared to 9% in 2001; 35% of teenagers say they’re sexually active, compared to 37.5% in 2001, 18% of teens say they carry a gun, knife, or other weapon, 20% of the teens say they smoke cigarettes, compared to 36.4% in 1997; current alcohol use fell from 50.8% to 44.7%; lifetime sexual intercourse with at least one partner fell from 54.1% to 47.8%. The survey contains detailed data from more than 14,000 questionnairies which were anonymously completed by teenagers in high school.   

The good news were brought by Howell Wechsler, Ed.D., M.P.H., director of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health, and colleagues in a June 6 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report surveillance summary. But the improvement was less apparent among Hispanic youths, according to data from the 2007 National Youth Risk Behaviour Survey.

“Even though the study documented substantial improvements over time in many health risk behaviors among all high school students, our Hispanic students remain at greater risk than white and black students” in several categories, Dr. Wechsler told reporters. As an example, about 10 to 11 percent of Hispanic students said they attempted suicide compared with around 7 percent of whites and 8 percent of blacks. Alcohol use was less common among African-American students; he research showed 34.5% for African-Americans, versus 47.3% for whites and 47.6 for Hispanics.

Doctors recommended lifestyle interventions and education in all US schools, “including regular physical education, elimination of soda vending machines, healthier school lunches, and mandatory health education classes.”