Health Highlights: Sept. 10, 2008

The system was used by 12 primary care practices for nine months,UPIreported. From the start to the end of the study, average colorectal cancer screening rates increased from 41.7 percent to 50.9 percent.

The findings were published in the journalMedical Care.

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Women as Likely as Men to Cheat on Partner: Studies

There's a 40 percent to 76 percent chance that someone will cheat in a relationship, and women are as likely as men to step out on their partner, according to a University of Montreal researcher.

"Contrary to popular belief, infidelity isn't more prevalent in men," Genevieve Beaulieu-Pelletier said in a news release,United Press Internationalreported.

One study of 145 students, average age 23, found that 68 percent had thought about cheating and 41 percent had actually cheated. A second study of 270 adults, average age 27, found that 54 percent had thought about cheating and 39 percent had actually cheated.

In both studies, people with an "avoidant attachment style" were more likely to cheat. People with avoidant attachment styles are uncomfortable with intimacy,UPIreported.

"The emotional attachment we have with others is modeled on the type of parenting received during childhood," Beaulieu-Pelletier said.

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States Should Raise Driving Age: Insurance Institute

In order to reduce crashes and save lives, states should raise the driving age to 17 or even 18, suggests the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the auto insurance industry.

The idea may prove a "tough sell," but car crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, said institute President Adrian Lund, who plans to present the proposal Tuesday at the annual conference of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Each year, more than 5,000 U.S. teens die in car crashes.

"The bottom line is that when we look at the research, raising the driving age saves lives," Lund told theAssociated Press.

New Jersey is the only state that issues licenses at age 17. The overall rate of New Jersey teens killed in car crashes has been consistently lower than in some nearby states, according to data compiled by institute researchers.

Many countries in Europe and elsewhere issue licenses at ages 17 or 18, theAPreported.

In the United States, the rate of fatal and nonfatal crashes per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is nearly 10 times higher than the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.