Today in the USA

In the United States, in the next 24 hours...

1,439 teens will attempt suicide; six of those attempts will end in death. (Every 100 minutes another teenager will commit suicide. Learn to recognize the warning signs.)

2,795 teenage girls will become pregnant

373 teenage girls will miscarry

1,295 teen girls will give birth

1,106 teenagers will have abortions

48 teens will contract the HIV virus

623 teenagers will get syphilis or gonorrhea

9,506 teens will take their first drink of alcohol

11 teens will be killed and over 350 will be injured in alcohol-related auto accidents

3,561 teens will run away from home

2,806 teenagers will drop out of school

2,989 teens will see their parents divorce

24 more children/teens will be sexually abused than were yesterday

12 kids ages 19 and under will die from a gunshot wound

1,350 teens will sustain a sports injury

4,800 teens will smoke their first cigarette; almost 2 million become regular smokers every year. (Thirty-five percent more teenage girls are smoking now than 10 years ago).

1,440 people will be raped; many of them will be teenagers. (In the United States, one in five men will be raped in his lifetime, most before the age of 18. One in three women will be raped in her lifetime, many as teenagers.)


Teens now account for over 3 percent of all sexually transmitted diseases. About 1 million teens will become pregnant this year in the USA--the highest rate of any industrialized country. Ninety-five percent of those pregnancies are unintended, and almost 1/3 will end in abortion. See "Pregnancy" for more statistics.

One in 250 Americans is HIV positive; only one in 500 knows it.

Over 50 percent of all teens use alcohol or drugs.

If you are a teenager in need of some kind of help, please see our Hotline list and call someone who will talk to you any time of the day, any day of the week. You are not alone; help is out there.

(Most of these statistics are from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2001-2002 and The Children's Defense Fund, 2002. They will be updated as soon as the data is available.)

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.

March is National Nutrition Month and Kidney Health Month.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and STD Awareness Month.

May is Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month; May 7th is Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day. May is also Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month.

June is Headache Awareness Month and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

July is Sexual Health Awareness Month and National Blueberry Month.

August is Cataract Awareness Month.

September is Menopause Awareness Month and Lymphoma Awareness Month.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Vegetarian Awareness Month.

November is Smoking Awareness Month and Diabetes Awareness Month.

December is HIV Awareness Month--Get informed! One in 250 Americans is HIV positive and only one in 500 knows it.