new study by University of Michigan researchers finds that while fewer high school age kids are abusing drugs, the number of those who have tried prescription drugs such as OxyContin have increased.

The study, entitled "Monitoring the Future," found that at least one in every 20 high-school seniors has tried the powerful narcotic drug, OxyContin in the past year. The study also found that the popularity of the painkiller Vicodin remained constant, with the percentage of students using Vicodin hovering at 2.7 percent, 7.2 percent and 9.6 percent in 8th, 10th and 12th grades, respectively

Taking oral contraceptives can lower a young woman's bone density and could lead to osteoporosis, says a new study published in the journal Osteoporosis International.

The study by Hawley Almstedt and Christine M. Snow, professors of natural science at the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and Oregon State University, respectively, is the first to analyze bone density and oral contraceptives use among 18-25 year old women

A new HIV/AIDS prevention campaign to be launched early 2008 will likely generate another controversy in the largely Catholic country, Brazil. A joint Health and Education Ministries program will result in the installation of condom dispensing machines in 100 public schools.

To push for youth participation in the program, the two government agencies and the United Nations sponsored a nationwide contest for students to design the condom dispenser. Three finalists were selected on Friday

Sex-related diseases affected British youth ages 16-24 the most in 2006, the Health Agency (HPA) said, warning of a continuing epidemic of HIV and sexually transmitted infections in gay men.

In 2006, over 370,000 new sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed - up 2.2 percent on 2005, the HPA said Friday

Heavy binge drinking by adolescents and young adults is associated with increased long-term risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders, according to a new study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation's Prevention Research Center (PRC) in Berkeley.

The risk is lower in people who start drinking alcohol later in life and maintain more moderate drinking patterns, says the study which will be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism