OP TEEN CONCERNS ARE LOSING WEIGHT AND FITTING IN

TROUBLED TEENS REVEAL SOCIAL DIVIDE

Today’s teens are most worried about losing weight and fitting in. But more teenagers from low income families worry about bullying, drugs, and smoking compared to peers from high income families. Surveys for NHS Teen LifeCheck published today reveal social similarities and divides on some of the top teenage concerns.

Of the teenagers surveyed, almost double the number of teens from low income families worried about bullying. However, teens from higher income families are more likely to worry about peer pressure and fitting in.

The research shows:

Worry Low income families High income families Losing weight 43% 30% Bullying 41% 21% Drugs 21% 13% Smoking 19% 10% Fitting in 32% 40% Peer pressure 23% 30%

Further research also shows that almost half (48%) of teens don’t feel they can talk to their friends about their worries because they think they’ll be considered silly or different, and nearly a third (31%) feel that their friends just wouldn’t understand.

The research was undertaken for the NHS Teen LifeCheck website on behalf of the Department of Health. This online service - www.teenlifecheck.co.uk - is aimed at teens with the highest risk of future ill health caused by their lifestyle choices. The website encourages them to complete its quiz and act on the results, and signposts people to support for issues like bullying.

In just three months, www.teenlifecheck.co.uk is already having a considerable impact. More than 100,000 teenagers have completed a LifeCheck, getting advice on topics like bullying and smoking as well as drugs, alcohol, personal safety, healthy eating and exercise. Today’s survey will inform the ongoing development of the site so it is up to date and meaningful to teenagers.

Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, said:

“Whether teenagers are concerned about their weight or giving up smoking, nearly three quarters of them say they like to get confidential advice. NHS Teen LifeCheck gives teenagers the support to make decisions and choices that can help them to be healthy and happy.”

www.teenlifecheck.co.uk is specifically targeted at young people (12-15) because research has shown that these are the ‘discovery years’, where young people are most likely to experiment. There is a greater opportunity for this age group to recognise and avoid risky behaviours or unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Youth worker Katharine Terrington, said:
“We tend to think that teens share all their worries with those closest to them, but this survey shows that many would find it difficult to talk about certain issues. It’s incredibly important to them to fit in with their mates and often they don’t know whether their worries are normal or not. That’s why a non-judgemental website like teenlifecheck.co.uk can be a huge help.”

The simple, interactive quiz with multiple choice answers guides young people to tailored, non-judgemental feedback, provides top tips and then points them in the direction of more information and support such as www.talktoFrank.co.uk and Childline.

www.teenlifecheck.co.uk is one of a number of initiatives being introduced by the Government to help tackle health inequalities between high and low income families.

Many teens have commented on how helpful www.teenlifecheck.co.uk has been:

• “This really helps me because I’m suffering from a little bit of depression”
• “It helped me understand about being careful about what you do”
• “The LifeCheck helped me on areas to improve in my life.”

Government’s policies on drugs failing - Lamb

“These are horrifying statistics. The toll of damage from drugs is immense and the cost to the NHS is enormous," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary. Commenting on today’s ONS statistics which reveal that deaths from drug overdoses are at an eight year high, Norman Lamb said:

“These are horrifying statistics. The toll of damage from drugs is immense and the cost to the NHS is enormous.

“The Government’s punitive policies and heavy-handed rhetoric on drugs are failing. Ministers must make sure that schools and public services work together to make sure that the message gets out that drugs kill.

“Ministers have been very good at talking tough when it comes to drugs, but this isn’t working. They must urgently re-think their strategy before even more lives are lost.”

The drug and crime culture portrayed in 'The Wire' is in British cities too

In a keynote speech on crime and broken communities today, Chris Grayling has highlighted the “decade of neglect” under Labour – a decade in which “violence in our society has become a norm and not an exception”.

“Since Labour came to power, the level of violent crime in Britain has risen dramatically, by 70 per cent. Gun crime is up by more than half and there are more than 100 serious knife crimes each day. Under Labour, fatal stabbings reached the highest level on record.”

These figures, he said, showed that the drug and crime culture of the award winning US series ‘The Wire’ is increasingly becoming a feature of British cities as well:

“The culture of violence that was a feature of US cities a generation ago is now a feature of British cities. The Wire used to be just a work of fiction for British viewers. But under this Government, in many parts of British cities, The Wire has become a part of real life in this country too”.

Grayling attacks Government over rise in drug abuse

Chris Grayling has described the statistics for drug use in the UK, released today by the Home Office, as “depressing”.

The Shadow Home Secretary was commenting on figures that show the use of Class A drugs is at its highest point since 1996.

Chris said: “Hardly a day goes by without yet another depressing set of statistics about the scale of Britain’s social problems under this Government.”

And he added: “Drug addiction causes family breakdown, is linked to a substantial proportion of crime and causes long term damage to people’s health. We have to turn this round.”

Lansley warns "shocking" number of children addicted to alcohol and drugs

Andrew Lansley has accused Labour of neglecting a “forgotten generation of children” after it was revealed that 11,294 under-16-year-olds were treated for alcohol and drug dependency last year.

The Shadow Health Secretary, who uncovered the figures, called on the Government to take action to tackle the problem “before it’s too late”.

And he said it was a “sad indictment of our broken society” that so many children are turning to things like drug and alcohol abuse at such a young age.

The new information shows that in 2008:

• 6,075 under-16-year-olds were treated for cannabis dependency - with 102 of those under 12
• 4,005 children under-16-year-olds were treated for alcohol dependency - with 57 of those under 12
• 93 under-16-year-olds were treated for heroin dependency - with 10 of those under 12

Andrew said, “Tackling these problems has been low on (Labour’s) priority list and their irresponsible decision to roll out 24-hour drinking on our towns and communities has not helped.”

And he stressed that the NHS needs “a robust strategy” to improve public health – and that more must be done to tackle the wider causes of social breakdown.

Grieve attacks Labour for sending "mixed messages" on drugs

Dominic Grieve warned the Government is sending out “mixed messages” on drug abuse following the publication of new statistics from the Ministry of Justice.

The latest sentencing data shows that the number of people sentenced for drug offences has increased by 13.2 per cent but the number given custodial sentences had actually fallen.

Dominic, the Shadow Justice Secretary, said, “The surge in drug offenders reveals the stark reality of the Government’s failure to get a grip with this serious social problem.”

And he attacked the Government for letting two-thirds of violent offenders off with “a slap on the wrist”:

“Drug- and drink-fuelled violence blights our communities. But this Government has sent out mixed messages on drugs and binge-drinking, whilst failing to build the prisons to ensure violent offenders are properly punished.”

(Home Office) Proposals for control of GBL

New controls for a range of substances including GBL were set out today in two public consultations launched by the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The aim is to prevent the misuse of GBL, 1,4 BD, BZP and a range of anabolic steroids as part of the Home Office's drug strategy and its commitment to responding to the changing drugs environment and emerging threats to public health.

GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) and its precursor 1,4 BD (1,4-butanediol) have wide legitimate uses as solvents but can be converted into the Class C controlled drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) in the body. The consultation sets out three options for control and invites industry, commerce and the general public to set out to the Government the potential impacts of the different approaches. These responses will inform the action that Government takes forward.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"I am determined that we respond to the dangers of these drugs and that is why I have committed to controlling them. It is absolutely right that we continue to adapt our drug policy to the changing environment of substance
misuse.

"This is the next step in tackling the unregulated market of so called 'legal highs'."

The second consultation sets out the Government's intention to control BZP (1- benzylpiperazine) as a Class C drug. It also makes clear the Home Office's aim, in line with the advice published today from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, to control a group of related compounds or substituted piperazines that have the same or very similar harms to BZP.

The consultation also sets out the Government's intention to update the list of steroids currently controlled as Class C drugs by adding a further 24 anabolic steroids and two non-steroidal substances to the class.