In Brief: Dec. 3, 2001

TEEN SMOKING The awareness of health risks and the prospect of parental punishment rarely seem to deter middle and high school students from experimenting with cigarettes. But a Florida program has found that the threat of legal penalties can reduce teen smoking up to 40%. According to a study published in Health, Education & Behavior, in Florida counties where underage smoking laws are strictly enforced and penalties include being fined or losing a driver's license, students were far less likely to smoke than were students in lower-enforcement areas.

FEEDING MIND AND BODY Sibling spats at the dinner table might be annoying...

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