McCreary Centre Society

 Administration took place in Grade 7-12 classes in 50 of the 59 BC School Districts.  Over surveys were collected in 1,760 classrooms between February and June  HSDA 14 Fraser North “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

A Picture of Health

 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  Nearly half did not eat the recommended 5 servings of fruits or vegetables yesterday

 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

 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

 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

Most BC teens are doing well, and report healthier behaviours than students 10 years ago

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European46% East Asian30% Southeast Asian7% Aboriginal/First Nations6% South Asian6% West Asian5% Latin/South/Central American4% African3% Australian/Pacific Islander2% Other (excluding Canadian)1% Don’t know6%

Who youth live with most of the time? (Youth could mark all that apply) Mother90% Father67% Other adults related to me9% Stepfather4% Stepmother2% Other adults not related to me 2% Do not live with any adults1%

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

 84% reported good or excellent health.  8% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability.

 14% of females and 9% of males did not get medical help when they felt they needed it.

 26% of students were injured seriously enough to need medical attention.

Injury Prevention  67% of youth always wore a seatbelt.  25% of students always wore a helmet while bike riding.

What youth ate and drank yesterday No Yes, once Yes, twice or more Water5%19%76% Milk, cheese, yogurt11%37%52% Fruit17%41%42% Green salad or vegetables 20%46%34% Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars 36%48%16% Pop/soda59%31%10% Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries 54%36%10% Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 76%18%6% Energy drinks91%6%3% At least 48% of BC youth fell short of the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables.

 18% of males and 10% of females were very satisfied with their body image – an increase since 2003.

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

Top reasons for not accessing mental health services (among youth who felt they needed them)

Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts:  Family or friend suicide attempts (19% vs. 2%)  Sexual abuse (18% vs. 3%)  Physical abuse (13% vs. 3%)

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

 82% of youth never had sexual intercourse  Most common reasons for not having sex:  Waiting to meet the right person (48%)  Not ready for sex (47%)  Among those who had sex:  Most commonly started at age 15  18% first had sex before age 14

 Condoms: 66%  Birth control pills: 43%  Only withdrawal: 6%  Emergency contraception: 4% 5% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

† Indicates that the difference between Fraser North and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

† Indicates that the difference between Fraser North and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

Prescription pills15% Any Hallucinogens7% Mushrooms5% † Cocaine4% Inhalants3% † Any Amphetamines2% Steroids1% Heroin1% Injected an illegal drug1% † † Indicates that the difference between Fraser North and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

Note: The gender difference was not statistically significant for physical abuse.

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

 65% of students liked school “somewhat”  Females more likely than males to like school “very much” (24% vs. 19%)  Grade 7’s showed highest school connectedness vs. Grades 9-11 the lowest

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

Fraser North – A Picture of Health

 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.

A Picture of Health

 84% of youth in this area reported that their health was good or excellent. More males than females rated their health as excellent (39% vs. 22%).  Youth in this area were less likely to report a serious injury than youth in the province as a whole (26% vs. 29%).  11% of youth did not get medical help when they felt they needed it.

 Students in this area were less likely to have tried alcohol, to have drank alcohol recently and to have binge drank.  A smaller percentage of youth in the Fraser North area  The percentage of students who experienced sexual harassment was lower than the provincial rate. However, experience of racial discrimination was higher (14% in this area vs. 12% provincially).

 A total of 35% of students worked at a paid job during the school year, which was lower than the provincial rate (41%).  Youth in this area scored higher on cultural connectedness than the province as a whole.  The overall level of healthy peer attitudes was also higher in this area.

A Picture of Health

 14 reports at HSDA level  Additional in-depth reports (eg substance use)  Fact sheets on key topics  ‘Next Steps’ youth workshops and other resources for youth

McCreary Centre Society 3552 East Hastings Street Vancouver V5K 2A