American teens' health behaviors suffered a lot during pandemic: report

LOS ANGELES, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked some major havoc on the health of American teenagers, from increased drug and alcohol use to high levels of reported abuse and feelings of mental distress, according to a report of Axios.

The report cited a survey of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taken between January and June 2021, involving more than 7,700 high school students.

The teens reported high levels of mental distress, risky health behaviors, economic instability and abuse, said the report.

More than 40 percent of teens said they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year, the survey found.

Among the 43 percent of students who said they consumed alcohol, about 30 percent said they drank more during the pandemic, and 22 percent said they drank six or more times in the past month, according to the report.