Health Highlights: June 6, 2008

The study was published in the June issue of theJournal of Nutrition.

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College Teens Less Likely to Have Risky Sex

American teens who attend college are less likely to have risky sex than teens who aren't in college, say researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.

They found that teen college students were more likely to always use a condom and less likely to engage in high-risk sex than teens who weren't in college,United Press Internationalreported.

According to the study:

23 percent of teen college students and 35 percent of non-college teens reported inconsistent condom use.15 percent of college students and 29 percent of non-college teens engaged in casual sex.5 percent of college students and 16 percent of non-college teens had high-risk sex, which included casual sex, inconsistent condom use, having sex with a man who had sex with other men, or having a sex partner who was HIV positive or was an intravenous drug user.53 percent of college students and 70 percent of non-college teens engaged in sex in the previous month.

The study was published in theJournal of Adolescent Health.

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Admiration of Celebrities May Boost Self-Esteem

Admiration of celebrities may help people with low self-esteem feel better about themselves, suggest University at Buffalo researchers.

The scientists assessed the self-esteem of hundreds of undergraduate students, who identified their favorite celebrity, then described that celebrity in an open-ended essay,United Press Internationalreported.

Based on the results, the researchers concluded connections to celebrities (parasocial relationships) can offer people with low self-esteem benefits they don't receive in real relationships.

The researchers said parasocial relationships, which have a very low risk of rejection, provide people with low self-esteem the chance to feel closer to their ideal selves,UPIreported.

The study was published in the journalPersonal Relationships.