Teens who watch medical documentaries and medical dramas like "ER" on television are more likely to worry about their health, according to a Belgian study of 1,300 teens.

Teens who watch these programs increase their level of health fears by as much as 10 percent, the study found, and girls are more affected than boys.

Labels: health, influences, TV

The New York City Health Department now has a profile on MySpace. NYC Teen MySpace aims to give teens a place on the popular social networking site where they can find information about depression, drug abuse or dating violence.

"The Internet medium was chosen because of its popularity among young people, who will find blogs, music, quizzes, polls, games, fact sheets and more at www.myspace.com/nycteen_mindspace. The MySpace page aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and eliminate the stigma that keeps teens silent."

An estimated 30 percent of teenagers in New York City say they've experienced sadness that interferes with daily activities, and eight percent report attempting suicide in the past year. Dating violence and substance abuse were also prevalent enough to be of concern. Source: Queens Courier

Labels: experts, health, myspace

More than 25 percent of British youth with body piercings developed infections, according to a new study from the British Health Protection Agency. Ear lobe piercings were not included in this study, in which BHPA scientists evaluated the association between body piercings and hepatitis infections.

The study found that 46 percent of girls between the ages of 16 to 24 had body piercings, but only 80 of that group had their piercings performed by specialists.

Labels: health, infections, piercings