US gay teens 'more likely' to smoke, drink

ATLANTA, Georgia- Gay, lesbian and bisexual US high school students are more likely than heterosexual students to engage in such risky behavior as smoking, drinking alcohol and carrying guns, a new report shows.

The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which surveyed 156,000 high school students and was released on Monday, is the largest of its kind by the US federal government.

"This report should be a wake-up call for families, schools and communities that we need to do a much better job of supporting these young people," said Howell Wechsler, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health.