Science confirms: 19th birthdays are health hazards

164%

—The amount of increased likelihood that a young woman living in Ontario will check into a hospital during the week of her 19th birthday, as compared to the rest of the year. (In other words, a hospital stay is about 2.6 times more likely.) This is according to a University of North British Columbia study summarized in the Star. For young men, the figure is slightly less: 114 per cent. Cool it on the birthday drinks, kids.