For Longer Lives, Researchers Say It’s Fitness That Matters

Seven must-read stories about STIs, male role models, and the creepiness that follows young Instagram influencers. PLUS: How would decreasing loneliness in men help women?

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• I’m Christopher Pepper, an award-winning health educator and journalist. I regularly send out editions of the Teen Health Today newsletter that are free for all to read - the most recent is “How To Get Better At Talking About Sex And Sexuality”

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In this edition:

• At Long Last, the Surge in S.T.I.s May Be Leveling Off

• She Was a Child Instagram Influencer. Her Fans Were Grown Men.

• Why Young Boys Need Books About Inspiring Men

• “I’m 16. On Nov. 6 the Girls Cried, and the Boys Played Minecraft.“

• The Best Way To Help Women? End The Male Loneliness Epidemic

• Why Weight? Researchers Say It’s Fitness That Matters

• Opinion: How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Could Destroy One of Civilization’s Best Achievements (New York Times)

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Photo by Abstral Official on Unsplash

At Long Last, the Surge in S.T.I.s May Be Leveling Off (New York Times)

After decades of unrelenting increases, rates of sexually transmitted infections in the United States are showing hints of a downturn.

Diagnoses of gonorrhea dipped in nearly all age groups last year, compared with 2022, and new cases of syphilis and chlamydia remained about the same, according to data released on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The results are not yet cause for celebration.

Overall, more than 2.4 million new S.T.I.s were diagnosed last year, about a million more than the figure 20 years ago. Nearly 4,000 babies were diagnosed with congenital syphilis last year, and 279 of them were stillborn or died soon after.

Still, experts said they were cautiously optimistic that a resurgent tide of infections was beginning to turn. READ MORE

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