McCreary Centre Society www.mcs.bc.ca Administration took place in Grade 7-12 classes in 50 of the 59 BC School Districts. Over 29 000 surveys were collected in 1,760 classrooms between February and June 2008. Northwest “I am happy to see a survey like this one. It’s about time questions were being asked. Now I am hoping to see some positive actions.” BC Youth Participant www.mcs.bc.ca A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Most students are doing well; nearly all 84% report good or excellent health Serious injuries have declined 18% of females, 7% of males did not get mental health services they needed At least half of youth did not eat the recommended servings of fruits or vegetables yesterday www.mcs.bc.ca No change in physical activity: only 1 in 4 males, 1 in 10 females exercise every day Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are lower for the first time since 1992 More than 1 in 5 females, 1 in 10 males reported deliberate self-harm www.mcs.bc.ca Far fewer youth smoke than a decade ago, and those who do started at older ages Alcohol and marijuana use lower Fewer students had ever used cocaine, amphetamines, or mushrooms, continuing declines since 1998 But use of some other drugs, including hallucinogens like LSD, rose www.mcs.bc.ca Relationship violence is unchanged since 2003; 9% of males, 6% of females Pregnancy rates also stable, less than 2% Reversing trends in physical and sexual abuse, after declines since 1992 Protective factors can help even the most vulnerable youth overcome risks www.mcs.bc.ca Most BC teens are doing well, and report healthier behaviours than students 10 years ago www.mcs.bc.ca Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European 66% Aboriginal/First Nations 29% East Asian 3% Latin/South/Central American 3% South Asian 3% Southeast Asian 3% African 2% Australian/Pacific Islander 1% Other (excluding Canadian) 1% Don’t know 9% www.mcs.bc.ca Who youth live with most of the time? (Youth could mark all that apply) Mother 87% Father 65% Stepfather 8% Other adults related to me 6% Stepmother 3% Other adults not related to me 3% Do not live with any adults 1% www.mcs.bc.ca Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Self-reported health status 57% 54% 84% reported good or excellent health, consistent with results for 2003 12% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability. Males Females 34% 18% 23% 9% 3% 2% Poor Fair Good Excellent Note: The gender differences for poor and good health were not statistically significant. www.mcs.bc.ca 16% of youth did not get medical help when they felt they needed it. Some reasons for not accessing medical care in the past year (among youth who felt they needed it) Thought or hoped problem would… 52% Afraid of what doctor would say or do 28% Didn't want parents to know 15% Parent/guardian couldn't take me 14% Afraid someone might see me 13% Didn't think could afford it 11% Had no transportation 10% Couldn't go when it was open 10% Didn't know where to go www.mcs.bc.ca 9% 38% of students were injured seriously enough in the past year to need medical attention. Location of injuries At a sports facility or field 37% At school 16% At home/in yard 14% In the street or roadway 5% In a park or recreational area 5% At workplace Somewhere else www.mcs.bc.ca 4% 18% Injury Prevention 64% of youth always wore a seatbelt. 19% of students always wore a helmet while bike riding. www.mcs.bc.ca Helmet use among youth who cycled in the past year 43% 14% Never Rarely 16% 19% 9% Sometimes Most of the time Always What youth ate and drank yesterday Water Milk, cheese, yogurt Fruit Green salad or vegetables Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars Pop/soda Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 8% 10% 19% Yes, Yes, once twice or more 23% 68% 35% 56% • At least 51% of 42% youth 39% 26% 47% Energy drinks No www.mcs.bc.ca 40% 53% fell short of the 28% recommended daily portions of fruits16% and 44% vegetables 35% 12% 49% 38% 13% 72% 19% 9% 86% 10% 4% Students in each weight category 78% 66% Males Females 23% 14% 3% 3% Underweight Healthy Overweight 8% 5% Obese weight Note: The gender differences for underweight and obese were not statistically significant. www.mcs.bc.ca Similar to 2003 local rates and the 2008 provincial rate, 17% of males were very satisfied with their body image, compared to only 10% of females Healthy weight youth trying to lose or gain weight 48% Females 30% 11% 4% Lose weight www.mcs.bc.ca Males Gain weight Eating behaviours 51% Males Females 38% 19% 20% 3% Dieted to lose weight in past year www.mcs.bc.ca Binge eat 8% Vomit on purpose after eating Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Some self-esteem items 84% I usually feel good about myself 90% 76% I am able to do things I feel I have much to be as well as most other people www.mcs.bc.ca proud of During the past 30 days, have you felt you were under any strain, stress or pressure? 31% 18% 16% Not at all A little / about usual 20% 15% Some / more Quite a bit of Almost more than usual pressure than I could take www.mcs.bc.ca During the past 30 days, have you felt so sad, discouraged, hopeless or had so many problems that you wondered if anything was worthwhile? 51% 22% Not at all A little 11% 9% 7% Some, enough Quite a bit Extremely so, to bother me to the point I couldn't do my work or deal with things www.mcs.bc.ca Most common reasons for not accessing mental health services (among youth who felt they needed them) Thought/hoped the problem would… 53% Didn't want parents to know 44% Didn't know where to go 31% Afraid someone I know might see me 31% Afraid of what Dr. would say/do 26% I didn't think I could afford it Had no transportation www.mcs.bc.ca 12% 7% Intentional self harm among youth who had been abused and not abused Abused 50% Not abused 40% 17% Physically abused www.mcs.bc.ca 17% Sexually abused Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts: Family or friend suicide attempts (19% vs. 4%) Sexual abuse (30% vs. 4%) Physical abuse (22% vs. 4%) Aboriginal ethnicity (14% vs. 5%) Health condition or disability (22% vs. 5%) www.mcs.bc.ca Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca 70% of youth never had sexual intercourse Most common reasons for not having sex: Waiting to meet the right person (53%) Not ready for sex (47%) Not wanting to get or cause a pregnancy (41%) Among those who had sex: Most commonly started at age 15 21% first had sex before age 14 www.mcs.bc.ca Students who had oral sex 60% 58% 45% 44% 40% 25% 17% 20% 8% 0% 13 years old www.mcs.bc.ca 14 15 16 17 18 years old Birth control method used last time youth had sex: Condoms: 66% Birth control pills: 43% Only withdrawal: 5% Emergency contraception: 6% 7% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy www.mcs.bc.ca Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Age when first smoked a whole cigarette (among students who had tried smoking) 2003 31% 31% 2008 33% 24% 16% 18% 17% 11% 7% 6% 6% 1% Less than 9 9-10 www.mcs.bc.ca 11-12 13-14 15-16 17 or older Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Students who ever drank alcohol (other than a few sips) 88% 78% 70% 58% 36% North West BC 29% 13-year-olds 15-year-olds† 17-year-olds† Indicates that the difference between North West and provincial estimates was statistically significant. † www.mcs.bc.ca Rates of different types of alcohol consumed last Saturday 25% 22% 19% 15% 18% 13% North West BC 5% 4% Beer† Wine Liquor† Coolers† Indicates that the difference between North West and provincial estimates was statistically significant. † www.mcs.bc.ca 2003 2008 9% 14%◆ 6% 11%◆ 13% 11%† 4% 4% 5% 4% 3% 1% 2% Heroin <1% 2% Injected an illegal drug <1% 2% Prescription pills Hallucinogens (including ecstasy) Mushrooms Inhalants Cocaine Any Amphetamines (including crystal meth) Steroids www.mcs.bc.ca 5% † Difference between 2008 Northwest and provincial estimates was statistically significant ◆ Difference between 2003 and 2008 Northwest estimates was statistically significant. Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Males and females who were ever abused Males 24% Females 19% 15% 11% 5% Physically abused Sexually abused 3% Both physically and sexually abused www.mcs.bc.ca Internet Safety: •14% of students had been in contact with someone on the Internet who made them feel unsafe. • 17% of students were cyber-bullied Relationship Violence: • 9% of students reported that their boyfriend or girlfriend hit, slapped or hurt them in the past year. Discrimination: • 19% of students experienced discrimination as a result of their physical appearance. • 14% of students had been discriminated against because of race or skin colour • 6% of students reported they had experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation. www.mcs.bc.ca Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca 66% of students liked school “somewhat” Females more likely than males to like school “very much” (22% vs. 13%) Skipped full days of school in the past month 38% 30% 20% 38% 29% 18% School connectedness unrelated to grade level Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade 7 www.mcs.bc.ca 8 9 10 11 12 Students who always /usually felt safe at school Library 83% Classroom 81% Cafeteria 70% Hallways 62% Washrooms 62% Outside on school grounds www.mcs.bc.ca 58% Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Exercise in past week 27% Males Females 11% 7% Exercised every day 9% Did not exercise at all Note: The gender difference for not exercising was not statistically significant. www.mcs.bc.ca Weekly participation in activities in the past year Sports/physical activity without… Sports/physical activity with coach Hobby/craft Volunteering Art/drama/music Group/club Dance/aerobics 23% 31% 19% 30% 13% 16% 9% 28% 70% 60% 56% 51% 60% 85% Males Females Note: The gender differences for sports/physical activity with coach and group/club were not statistically significant. www.mcs.bc.ca Gambling in the past year 35% 34% 2003 29% 26% 2008 14% 6% Played games for Bought lottery Bet money at casino, money tickets ◆ track, video gambling, online ◆ Difference between 2003 and 2008 Northwest estimates was statistically significant. www.mcs.bc.ca Northwest – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca Having protective factors in their lives can promote health and reduce the negative effect of some risk behaviours. Protective factors in AHS School (e.g., school connectedness) Family (e.g., family connectedness) Community Connected to culture/ethnic group Youth engagement in activities Peer prosocial attitudes about risky behaviours Friends would disapprove of teen getting pregnant, getting drunk, beating someone up, etc. www.mcs.bc.ca Health by family connectedness 54% Low 41% connectedness High connectedness 17% Binge drinking www.mcs.bc.ca 16% Fight involvement Health by level of activity input 26% 25%* No input A lot of 10% Poor/fair health www.mcs.bc.ca 8% input Considered suicide * Indicates that the percentage shown should be interpreted with caution as it may represent only an approximation due to the sample size. A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca 84% of youth in this area reported that their health was good or excellent Seventy-eight percent of students rode a bicycle in the past year (above the provincial rate of 71%). However, only 19% always wore a bike helmet (below the provincial rate of 24%). Sixty-four percent of students in this area always wore a seatbelt when riding in a motor vehicle (increase from 47% in 2003) www.mcs.bc.ca No change in injury rates in this area between 2003 and 2008 with 38% of students injured seriously enough to need medical attention (above provincial rate of 29%) Students in this area were more likely than students across the province to report dieting in the past year (35% vs. 31%) Suicidal ideation and attempts remained the same as 2003 rates www.mcs.bc.ca Thirty-one percent of students had ever tried smoking (improvement from 41% in 2003) Local decrease in youth who had tried marijuana from 47% in 2003 to 40% in 2008 30% of male and female students reported ever having sexual intercourse and the same percentage reported having oral sex (both higher than provincial rates) www.mcs.bc.ca The percentage of youth who reported physical or sexual abuse was similar to the local rates in 2003, but higher than the provincial rates. 25% of local students experienced either form of abuse and 7% had experience both types of abuse Compared to 2003, Northwest youth in 2008 were more likely to say their friends would be upset with them if they got arrested, were involved in a pregnancy, dropped out, or used marijuana, but were less likely to think their friends would be upset if they carried a weapon www.mcs.bc.ca A Picture of Health Provincial and 14 regional reports and power points Additional in-depth topic reports (e.g. substance use) Fact sheets on key topics ‘Next Steps’ workshops for youth and other youth resources www.mcs.bc.ca McCreary Centre Society 3552 East Hastings Street Vancouver V5K 2A7 mccreary@mcs.bc.ca 604 291 1996 www.mcs.bc.ca