The number of youngsters in Scotland drinking alcohol at least once a week has fallen by more than a third over the last decade, according to a study.
Teenagers also smoke less and have a healthier diet, researchers have found.
But many aged between 11 and 15 are still struggling to meet recommended levels of exercise.
A team at the University of Edinburgh questioned nearly 7,000 young people to produce the report looking at changes in youngsters’ wellbeing through the years.
Their responses showed the rate of daily smoking among 15-year-olds has fallen 5 per cent since 2002, from 16 per cent to 11 per cent.
The number of young people drinking alcohol at least once a week dropped by more than a third, and experimental and regular cannabis use halved.
Daily sweet consumption reduced by a third, and consumption of crisps and chips halved.
Most young people (87 per cent) said they were satisfied with their life, although happiness levels dipped.
There was an increase in the number of children reporting that their family was financially well off, and a higher percentage felt they could talk to their fathers about their problems.
TV viewing decreased, but despite this less than a fifth (19 per cent of boys and 11 per cent of girls) of those interviewed met government guidelines on weekly exercise.
The findings from the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children Scotland national report, funded by NHS Health Scotland, are published today.
Professor Candace Currie, director of the child and adolescent research unit at the University of Edinburgh, said: “These recent findings are extremely encouraging with improvements in several areas relating to children’s overall wellbeing.
“Scotland has participated in this international collaborative study for two decades giving us a unique opportunity to track key areas of health among young people and compare Scotland’s progress to other countries.”
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