Michigan is rolling out new guidelines designed to help health providers better identify teens with high-risk behaviors.
The statewide guidelines recommend that adolescents be assessed for health-risk behaviors, such as violence, at least once a year. They also recommend that health care providers use one of four screening tools to ensure adolescents are consistently screened statewide.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says high-risk behaviors are the primary cause of the death or serious injury of about three-quarters of teens.
The Michigan Department of Community Health says a recent survey shows the importance of screening teens for risky behaviors as part of their total health assessment. In the survey of 20,000 youth in school-based health care centers in Michigan, 24 percent of teens reported depression.
