Abstinence-only programs which focus on behaviour can reduce sexual activity among preteens and as a result lower the risks of disease and pregnancy, according to a new study. Despite criticisms that abstinence-only sexual education is moralistic, ineffective and contains inaccurate information, there has been little long-term research done to test the effects of "intervention"-style programs in the United States, say researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Waterloo, in a study published on Monday in the American medical journal, Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The research could ostensibly be applied to teens across North America, said author John B. Jemmott. Instead of portraying sex in a negative light or forgoing the discussion of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases altogether -- which has lead to some criticisms about abstinence education in the U.S. -- "intervention"-style programs focus instead on discussions about behaviour.

In a two-year study that looked exclusively at Grade 6 and 7 African-American preteens -- because of their high risk for pregnancy and diseases, according to researchers -- 662 students in Philadelphia were asked to talk about their hopes and dreams, their attitudes about sex and peer pressure.

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Five people have been shot after a man confronted four teens trespassing in his backyard. Police in central Florida say the shooting happened Sunday afternoon when a 26-year-old man confronted the teens at his home in Cocoa and told them the leave.

Police say that when the teens challenged the man, he shot them. The resident was also shot in the back during the confrontation.Two people were airlifted and three others were driven by ambulance to nearby hospitals. Information on the severity of their injuries was not available. Authorities say the man appears to have acted in self defense.

Tyra Bank is calling on curvy cuties for newest modeling competition. Tyra is all about expanding the perception of what is beautiful, and her latest project is no exception. The model and media mogul announced the launch of her Fiercely Real Teen Model Search Monday on “The Tyra Show.” 

 
The competition is open to plus-size girls between the ages of 13 and 19. Hopefuls can range from size 12 to 20, but they must be 5’9” to 6’1.” Tyra is looking for fresh faces, so no one with prior modeling experience is eligible.
 
At stake are a one-year modeling contract and two fashion spreads: one in a major fashion magazine and the other in Tyra’s MagaLine. Tyra will shoot the spread for her online publication and she’ll pose with you on the cover.

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Tyra Banks will launch a modeling competition that features plus-sized teens, reports Us Weekly. Banks announced the 'Fiercely Real Teen Model' search on her daytime talk show, The Tyra Show, on Monday.

The search is open to "curvylicious" girls between the ages of 13 and 19, with dress sizes between US 12 and US 20, and heights from 5'9" to 6'1". Finalists of the competition will be announced.

On the March 2 airing of The Tyra Show and the winner will receive a one year contract with the Wilhemina modeling agency, a photo shoot in Banks' webzine, and a spread in a major fashion magazine.

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The overall teen pregnancy rate was up 3 percent in 2006, with a 4 percent rise in the rate of births and a 1 percent rise in the rate of abortions, according to the report by the Guttmacher Institute.

The United States has higher rates of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion than in other Western industrialized countries.

There were 71 pregnancies per 1,000 U.S. girls aged 15-19. In 2006, 7 percent of all teenage girls got pregnant, according to the report.

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By the time the Olympic Torch Relay is finished, 12,000 people will have carried the flame. But not all of them are Canadians. Twenty American teens have been chosen to be torchbearers for the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. 15-year-old Stevie Peacock, who is from Sarasota, Florida, was one of those teens.

Peacock, who won a contest through Coca-Cola, got to carry the torch while it was in Calgary on Tuesday. "It's overwhelming and it's really incredible. I'm just so proud to be part of this tradition and seeing everyone here, it's amazing," says Peacock.

U.S. Olympic gold medal gymnast, Shawn Johnson was also chosen to carry the torch in Calgary. The 18-year-old competed in the Beijing Olympic Summer Games and made it to the podium twice. The fact that the Torch Relay wasn't reserved for Canadians hasn't bothered those cheering along the route.

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Farrah Abraham, 18, teen mom from Mtv's reality show was choked by her mother during an argument on this past Saturday.

According to the police the mother and daughter began arguing about child care. Debra Danielson, Farrah's mother threw a Mtv t-shirt at her daughter and Farrah goes off on her mother.

Debra then grabs Farrah by her throat and Farrah pushes her hand away. Then Debra slapped Farrah on the right side of her head and mouth.

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Thailand's Ministry of Public Health is forever condemning the next underground beauty craze. There's glue-on eyelashes that can prick retinas. Toxic skin-whitening creams. Cheaply made contact lens that offer girls Pikachu-sized fantasy eyes.

But the teen fad health authorities consider the most dangerous is proving surprisingly resilient. After more than five years of health warnings, after two teenage deaths last year, some Thai girls still seek out cuteness-enhancing "fashion braces."

Braces, that scarlet letter of American junior high geekdom, are adored by some Thai teenyboppers. Those who can't afford dentist fees sometimes resort to braces attached in flea markets and living rooms by entrepreneurs with mail-order dental supplies.

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Planet Teenager, where I unfortunately live, is a busy and surprising place. On this planet, kids come and go at all hours, but nobody ever rings a bell or knocks on a door. Nobody calls to warn, "I’m on my way." Nobody beeps a horn to say, "Your ride is here." Instead, teenagers suddenly appear in my living room (often around dinnertime), only to vanish again without so much as a "Sorry for barging in" or "So long, it’s been good to know ya!"

How do they manage to infiltrate my house without my knowing it? Simple: They text on arrival — TOA — and another teenager lets them in. To tell you the truth, it used to freak me out. Suddenly my 17-year-old would bolt from the table and open the door without a word, and to my utter astonishment, another teenager would be standing on the threshold.

"But . . . but . . . how did you know he was here?" I was foolish enough to sputter the first time I witnessed this practice some months ago. The answer, of course, was that texts had been silently exchanged, rendering obsolete the ridiculously old-fashioned routine of ringing a bell, knocking, or even phoning to say that one’s arrival was imminent.

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Police have let a Hastings man off with a warning after he admitted making a false complaint less than an hour after speaking to police. The 38-year-old beneficiary told police he had been attacked and robbed in broad daylight in central Hastings this morning.

He said he was walking on Lyndon Road East about 10.45am when he was approached by three teens who pushed him to the ground and stole his wallet.  Within an hour of speaking to Detective Jude Hill at the Hastings police station the man returned to the station to make his confession.

Detective Hill said because he would be let off with the warning because he had made his confession so soon.  She said the man did not explain why he had made the false complaint. He may have believed he would be eligible for financial assistance from Work and Income if the wallet - containing cash, his eftpos card and driver licence - had been stolen.