Unwanted teen sex linked to binge drinking, finds Oz study

October 9th, 2009 LONDON - Excessively low cost alcohol promotes harmful underage drinking, says a new study based on survey of 9,833 teens between the ages of 15 and 16 years. Mark Bellis worked with a team from Liverpool John Moores University and Trading Standards to survey the teens' alcohol consumption patterns, drink types consumed, drinking locations, methods of access and harms encountered.

September 2nd, 2009 LONDON - When it comes to binge drinking, British teenagers take the cake as compared to youngsters from anywhere else in the globe, reveals an international survey. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) research found a fifth of 13-year-olds confessed getting boozed up more than once, a figure four times than found in countries like Sweden, the US and the Netherlands.

August 27th, 2009 LONDON - People are taking in more booze "by stealth", thanks to stronger drinks that are on sale, according to an analysis of consumption in the UK. Researchers Mintel, who headed the survey, found the alcohol consumption level per person had leaped by 10 per cent since last nine years despite steady drink sales.

August 16th, 2009 MELBOURNE - More teenage girls are resorting to drinking, and many engaged in sex they regretted the morning after, reveals a new Australian survey. A new snapshot of teenage sex lives found that the number of teen girls turning to the bottle had risen by 30 per cent since the last survey in 2002.

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - Children as young as nine are receiving treatment for binge drinking at a clinic in the UK. Andrew Hall, chief executive of Alcohol Support, which runs Albyn House clinic in Aberdeen, revealed the majority of the children involved fell in the age bracket of 11 to 15.

July 20th, 2009 NEW YORK - Eating and/or drinking while driving has been blamed for 80 percent of car accidents in the US, according to a new study. The study conducted by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has shown that about 80pct of the car accidents, and 65pct of near misses, were caused by drivers more focused on their burgers than the road.

July 14th, 2009 SYDNEY - Taller men are able to earn more than their shorter counterparts simply because they are perceived as being more intelligent and powerful, according to a new study. The study 'Does size matter' used newly available data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to estimate the relationship between hourly wages and two aspects of body size: height and body mass index (BMI).

July 8th, 2009 LONDON - A new study by researchers at the University of Alabama has shown that kids who have dinner at the table with the parents are less likely to get into trouble when they are older. The study showed that such kids are less prone to end up drinking or smoking, taking drugs, getting into fights, running away from home and other 'problem behaviour' as adolescents.

July 6th, 2009 MELBOURNE - It's not the beer, but your genes, that cause that 'not so loved' 'beer belly', according to British scientists. In a study of thousands of beer drinkers, it was discovered that although regular drinkers had a tendency to put on weight, they did not necessarily store fat around the abdomen.

July 1st, 2009 WHO paper: TB vaccine could kill babies with HIVGENEVA — The World Health Organization says a study has shown that babies with HIV could die if given a standard tuberculosis vaccine. WHO says a three-year study in South Africa found babies born with HIV had a higher risk of contracting a deadly form of TB if given the widely used BCG vaccine.

June 16th, 2009 LONDON - Drunken, bikini-clad Cambridge University students were seen collapsing and throwing up after binge drinking at midday on a Sunday afternoon. The students were spotted struggling to stand up after a wild end-of-exams party, tagged Suicide Sunday.

June 15th, 2009 LONDON - Fuelling fears of the growing "ladette" culture in UK, the number of women fined for drunk and disorderly behaviour has increased by almost a third in the last two years, according figures revealed by the British Government. Paul Holmes, Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said: "These figures are yet more evidence the existence of a binge-drinking ladette culture, particularly amongst teenage girls.

June 15th, 2009 LONDON - Middle-class drinkers in homes are as bad as havoc wreaking youths on the streets, a senior bishop has said. The Rt Rev John Gladwin, the Bishop of Chelmsford slammed Britain's "binge-drinking" culture, saying drunk teenagers could not be condemned for their behaviour if the well-heeled section of the society got drunk themselves and fuelled the rise in alcoholism.

May 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, an 18-year-old unwed mother, says that abstinence is a 'realistic' option for teenagers. Bristol, who is a Teen Ambassador to The Candie's Foundation, did a turnabout on May 6 with her views on teen sex, and told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she wished she had waited to have sex.

April 13th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Researchers from Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne have revealed that there is no safe level of drinking for teenagers, as even moderate amounts could lead to alcohol abuse or promote risky sexual behaviour. According to the Fairfax newspapers, the new study casts doubt on national guidelines that suggest there is a "low risk" level of drinking for under-18s.