Info to go 3/7/06

Five things teens should know about life and all that other stuff:

Simpsons vs. freedoms

Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances). But more than half can name at least two members of the cartoon family The Simpsons, according to a survey. The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms (from the Associated Press).

Dropouts impact economy

More than 20,000 students didn't graduate from Missouri's high schools in 2004, costing the state more than $5 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over their lifetimes, according to a news release by a national policy/ research organization. Students who don't graduate earn less than their classmates who get at least a high school diploma, and considerably less than those with a college degree, said the Alliance for Excellent Education, based in Washington, D.C. Although states regularly report higher graduation rates, reliable research has shown that nationally, only about two-thirds of the students who enter ninth grade will graduate with a regular diploma four or five years later. This year, about 1.3 million students across the nation will not graduate from high school on time. Nationally, the combined lifetime income and tax revenue losses from this year's dropouts alone will be in excess of $325 billion (The Alliance for Excellent Education).

Teens just want fulfillment

Teens just want to be fulfilled according to a study featured in the spring 2006 issue of My Family Doctor magazine. The study had 200 teens fill out a survey asking questions about why they exercised or played sports. Participants answered using a scale of one (no) to four (yes, definitely). The following are the average ratings:

n Personal fulfillment: 3.49

n Weight-based motivation: 2.39

n Peer motivation: 2.09

n Parent motivation: 1.72

Loans and online learning

When Congress passed the federal budget, it changed a small but important item pertaining to who could qualify for federal student loans. The old law said at least 50 percent of a school's courses must be offered on a campus. The new law changed that -- and it means that 100-percent-online colleges can now accept student loans. This ruling almost certainly will increase enrollment in online courses (fom Al's Morning Meeting).

Teen girls at risk for triad

The triad syndrome of disordered eating, menstrual irregularity and low bone mass observed among some college students and young adults may also affect teenagers, new study findings suggest. "The triad is usually thought to occur mostly in elite athletes, however, the girls in our study were average high school athletes," Dr. Jeanne F. Nichols, of San Diego State University, California, told Reuters Health. Previous reports indicate more than half of collegiate and elite athletes have eating disorders and menstrual irregularity. During the 2003-to-2004 school year, nearly 3 million girls in the United States competed in high school sports, according to the National Federation of High School Associations. Yet little research has been conducted on the prevalence of the female athlete triad in high school athletes. In this most recent study, 18 percent of the girls had disordered eating behaviors, 24 percent had menstrual irregularities and 22 percent had low bone mass, the report indicates. Ten girls (6 percent) met the criteria for two components of the triad and two girls (1 percent) met the criteria for the full triad (from Reuters Health).