Your Family: Aug. 16, 1999

DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY NO? The anti-drug program DARE is taught in 75% of U.S. school districts, yet a new study from the University of Kentucky indicates that it has no long-term effect on kids' use of illegal drugs. In interviews with those who completed DARE in 1988, 46% admitted to smoking marijuana and 24% to taking other drugs within the past year. Researchers say programs would be more effective if they focused on kids most at risk.

HEY, SEXY Contrary to common perceptions, most older Americans are sexually active and willing to experiment. Modern Maturity magazine reports that 67% of men and 57% of women age 45 or older say a satisfying sexual relationship is important to them, and more than a quarter of Americans 75 or older have sex at least once a week. Also, the number of people who view their partners as physically attractive increases with age. Fifty-six percent of those 45 to 74 say they do, rising to 61% of those 75 or older.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Despite high-profile school shootings in places like Littleton, Colo., the good news is that overall teen violence, including homicide, is on the decline. A report last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that from 1991 to '97, the number of 9th-to-12th-graders who packed a weapon fell from 26% to 18%; those involved in a fight and needing treat-ment by a doctor or nurse dipped from 4.4% to 3.5%.

--By Daniel S. Levy