Posted on November 24, 2009

It isn’t unusual for teens to be curious about their bodies and to seek to satisfy that curiosity. When alcohol or drugs are involved, however, this exploration can lead to risky behavior.

According to a recent release in Science Daily, such risky activities can lead to unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, drug overdoses and alcohol poisoning. Even with these threats, researchers point out that less than half of pediatricians report screening patients for substance use and at-risk behavior.

A new diagnostic test, CRAFT, has been developed and is currently used at Children’s Hospital Boston. CRAFT allows primary care physicians to accurately screen teens for high risk drug and alcohol use in a matter of minutes. CRAFT can also identify teens that are more likely to be engaging in high risk sexual behaviors.

Researchers found that teens who screened positive for substance use had significantly greater odds of having sexual contact after using drugs or alcohol. These teens are more likely to have unprotected sex, multiple sex partners and even a sexually transmitted illness.

"Primary care physicians are on the frontline of identifying adolescents who are at-risk and all should be screened with questions like these at every routine medical visit," says Sharon Levy, MD, co-author of the study and physician in the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Children’s.

"Clinicians should be prepared to discuss high risk sexual behaviors with their patients along with the dangers of engaging in sexual activity while intoxicated. Something as simple as asking an adolescent a few questions during a clinical appointment might make the difference."