Study of Youths’ Problems Finds a Generation at Risk

America is raising a generation of adolescents plagued by pregnancies, illegal drug use, suicide and violence, a panel that included medical and education leaders reported Friday.

“We are absolutely convinced that, if we don’t take action immediately, we’re going to find ourselves with a failing economy and social unrest,” said Roseann Bentley of the National Assn. of State Boards of Education.

The commission’s report concluded that “young people are less healthy and less prepared to take their places in society than were their parents.”

The 36-member panel gathered statistics that, Bentley said, astonished commission members. Among the trouble signs were:

--1 million teen-age girls--nearly 1 in 10--get pregnant each year.

--39% of high school seniors reported they had gotten drunk within the two previous weeks.

--Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of death among teen-agers.

--The suicide rate for teen-agers has doubled since 1968, making it the second-leading cause of death among adolescents.

--Teen-age arrests are up thirtyfold since 1950.

Inattention to these problems has left thousands of young people doomed to failure, “which for many will be a precursor to an adult life of crime, unemployment or welfare dependency,” the report said.

The commission was formed by the National Assn. of State Boards of Education and the American Medical Assn. to make recommendations on the role of the school and community in improving adolescent health.

The commission recommended that teen-agers be guaranteed access to health services, regardless of their ability to pay. That health care should include psycho-social as well as medical services, the report said.

It said communities should set up adolescent health centers in schools or other convenient places that would be financed by local, state and federal funds and by private money.

The commission called on schools to play a larger role in improving adolescents’ health. It suggested “a new kind of health education--a sophisticated multifaceted program that goes light years beyond present lectures about personal hygiene.” Such a program should include sex education, the panel said.