January 22, 2007    Issue No. 1

FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the inaugural issue
of the Girl Scout Research Institute's e-newsletter!

In the months and years to come, we will use this e-newsletter to bring you the best of our research and evaluation, as well as outside sources that we hope will deepen your understanding of issues facing girls today.

Girl Scouting is committed to being the world's best leadership development program for girls ages 5-17 (kindergarten through high school). Understanding the needs, hopes, concerns and views of girls through research is at the core of this commitment.

We ask that you help us build this newsletter. Forward it to your colleagues and friends, and let us know about work that deserves attention here. Send your comments and suggestions to gsresearch@girlscouts.org.

We want this to be the best "interactive" girl-research source, so please stay in touch!

Sincerely,
Michael Conn, Ph.D.
Director, Girl Scout Research Institute

GIRLS' HEALTH: IT'S NOT JUST PHYSICAL!

What's really normal? For girls, being healthy is more than just eating right and exercising; it is also about feeling good about oneself, being supported by friends and family and appearing "normal."

But, what is "normal"? And how do girls deal with just wanting to be "normal" in the face of media, peer, school and, sometimes, family pressure?

Find out from the Girl Scout Research Institute's The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living (2006).

TEENS' RISKY BEHAVIOR

Current trends and statistics on girls and boys' risk behaviors, including physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behaviors, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors and more, from 1991-2005, are available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

WELL-BEING: WHAT REALLY COUNTS

Just how well are children and families in the U.S.? Check out America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (2006), the annual report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. 

The report includes health indicators such as overweight, illicit drug use, alcohol use, physical inactivity, and emotional and behavioral disorders. 

TAKING IN THE BIG PICTURE

Advancing the health of all children is the objective of Improving Children's Health: Understanding Children's Health Disparities and Promising Approaches to Address Them (2006). 

Released by the Children's Defense Fund, this report examines children's health as a whole, and across five issues: overweight/ obesity, asthma, dental care, lead poisoning and immunizations. 

SEEING THE FUTURE OF TEENS

What do teens think about drinking? How often do they smoke and take illicit drugs? And why? Have habits changed over the last 30 years? And what does that say about their future? Find out on MonitoringTheFuture.org. 

MINDING THE MIND

For teens, life is not simple. Learning how to cope, take care of themselves, and understand mental health and illness is a must. The Annenberg Foundation offers Cope.Care.Deal, a mental health site for teens, so teens can do just that.

TeenScreen.org also puts teens' mental health to the fore with the support of local communities and 34 national organizations. See how they work to fight teen depression and suicide.