March 8, 1999
Contact: Amy Pate (615) 343-3209
[email protected]
Tips for a healthy spring break
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It's that time of year when thousands of high school and college students flock to the beaches for spring break, a week of sun, surf and suds. A volatile mix of alcohol, anonymity, sex and partying, spring break can be a time when students let their inhibitions go. Often the result is that someone gets hurt.
"Talk to young folks" is the advice of Dr. John Greene, professor of pediatrics and director of student health services at Vanderbilt University. He cites a recent study in which 33 percent of high school students who "went wild" during spring break viewed it as a negative experience. The same study found that 75 percent of students drank daily during spring break and 46 percent engaged in sexual activity.
"My personal bias is that high school students shouldn't be unchaperoned on trips," he says, a solution that appeals more to parents than to young people.
"Restrictions aren't going to work with college kids," he warns. Instead, parents and educators should ask students how they would handle certain scenarios to get them to think about their vulnerabilities before they get caught in them.
The promotions targeted to teens and college students only make the problems associated with an alcohol-saturated spring break worse, he says. "The unfortunate thing is that these companies are looking to make money and not thinking of the adverse affects on young people." Students need to be reminded that promotions are designed "to make a buck" at their expense, without regard to their fiscal, physical or emotional well-being.
One approach to having a healthy spring break is to avoid the traditional venues altogether. Many schools and colleges, including Vanderbilt, offer alternative spring break trips, experiences which combine community service and learning opportunities. For more information on Vanderbilt University, please visit the News Service Web site at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News.
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