The table below shows the percentage of teenager boys and girls who reported engaging in risky behaviors.
Percentage of U.S. Students Grades 9-12 Who Reported Engaging in Risky Behavior
| Risky Behavior | Girls | Boys |
| Substance Use | ||
| Alcohol (in last 30 days) | 45.8 | 43.8 |
| Tobacco (in last 30 days) | 24.6 | 30.3 |
| Marijuana (in last 30 days) | 19.3 | 25.1 |
| Cocaine (in last 30 days) | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| Inhalants (in last 30 days) | 3.4 | 4.3 |
| Heroin (in lifetime) | 2.0 | 4.3 |
| Methamphetamine (in lifetime) | 6.8 | 8.3 |
| Ecstacy (MDMA; in lifetime) | 10.4 | 11.6 |
| Illegal steroids (in lifetime) | 5.3 | 6.8 |
| Sexual Behaviors | ||
| Had sexual intercourse (in lifetime) | 45.3 | 48.0 |
| Sexually active (had intercourse in past 3 months) | 34.6 | 33.8 |
| No condom use during last intercourse (among sexually active adolescents) | 42.6 | 31.2 |
| Alcohol or drug use at last sexual intercourse (among sexually active adolescents) | 21.0 | 29.8 |
| Had four or more sexual partners (in lifetime) | 11.2 | 17.5 |
| Behaviors That Contribute to Unintentional Injuries | ||
| Rarely or never wore seat belts in car | 14.6 | 21.5 |
| Bicycle riding without helmets (among those who rode bicycle in last 12 months) | 84.2 | 87.2 |
| Rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (in last 30 days) | 31.1 | 29.2 |
| Drove car after drinking alcohol (in last 30 days) | 8.9 | 15.0 |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004.
Excerpted From:
Excerpt from Child Development and Education, by T.M McDevitt, J.E. Ormrod, 2007 edition, p. 119.
© ______ 2007, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.
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