Tape 1 Teen Statistics

25% of youngsters are from families living in poverty

33% of youngsters are living with a single parent (usually a working mother)

40% have parents who will divorce before the child reaches age 18

14% are born to teenage mothers

15% will become teenage mothers

25% will not finish high school (10% whites, 30% blacks, 40%
hispanics, 50% native americans)

5% of high school seniors drink alcohol daily

56% of seniors began using alcohol prior to high school

54% of seniors have used illegal drugs

270,000 boys carried handguns to school at least once, and 135,000 did so each day.

We live in a nation where 20% of women are assaulted by
their dates, where one in six adults were physicall abused as children,
where 9 of 10 citizens lie regularly, and where one in seven carries a
handgun (The Day America Told The Truth). In addition to the preceding
let us be brave enough to listen to our people, they suggest: 1.
America has no moral leadership, we believe across the board thsat our
current political, religious, and business leaders have failed us; 2.
only 13% of us believe in the 10 Commandments, we are making up our own
rules and laws; 3. 60% of us have been victims of a major crime; 4.
there is no meaningful sense of community and most of us don't
participate in any community action whatsoever; 5. the ideal of
childhood is ending, a tragically high percentage of american children
lose their virginity before the age of 13; 6. the number one cause of
our business decline is unethical behavior; 7. 80% of americans believe
that morals and ethics should be taught in our schools, a letdown in
moral values is now considered the number one problem facing our
country; 8. the battle of the sexes rages on, men and women continue to
report difficulty in understanding each other and hold sterotyped views
of how the other sex perceives them; 9. our health is declining, e.g.,
60% of smokers begin to smoke during adolescence and 90% by the end of
adolescence, reports estimate that 200 California youth start smoking
every day. Often these youngsters are from ethnically diverse
populations, are economically and educationally disadvantaged, and are
prospective school dropouts. 10. Smoking habits established during
middle childhood tend to endure and its usage rate increases into late
adolescence; 11. Children today are displaying one or more health
risks, including tobacco use. Recent data, (TRAP, 1994), found that
27% (4th-6th grade) of boys and 16% of girls reported having previously
smoke with 6% of boys and 4% of girls having smoked in the past month.
Furthermore, in Fresno County, students in grades 6-11 were surveyed
and researchers found that 42% of all students had tried sometime in
their life one or more of alcohol, tobacco products, marijuana and
other drugs (cocaine, heroin etc.). 12. More than three quarters of
the high school respondents indicated they knew students who regularly
use drugs and alcohol. 13. A high prevalence of obesity (14% of girls
and 25% of boys), high blood pressure (15% of girls and 12% of boys),
above normal cholesterol levels (42% overall) and inadequate physical
fitness (47% of girls and 49% of boys failed the mile run) were noted
among the children studied. 14. Our California children are at risk
and are displaying health behaviors that will force them to tap into a
health care system earlier than previous generations and they will
persevere in the system at great cost to themselves and others; 15.
The discrepancy between desire and success is quite clear, since 81% of
smokers have tried to quit at least once.

People Involved | Testing Protocol | Responsibility Curriculum | Chat Room | Special Thanks

Contact Project Trust: Dr. Stanley Bassin, Dr. Don Morris
last modified 10/97