McCreary Centre Society Adolescent Health Survey III: 2003 results in preparation for 2008 AHS IV A brief summary of results for the Northwest Region

McCreary Centre Society The Purpose of Regional Reports  To recognize health promotion and prevention efforts that are working well  To identify issues on which more effort is needed to improve youth health

McCreary Centre Society Northwest Region  Located in the Northwest Geographic Area (used for identifying trends)  Includes school districts: # 50 Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte # 52 Prince Rupert # 54 Bulkley Valley # 82 Coast Mountains # 87 Stikine # 92 Nisga’a  SD # 50, SD # 87, and SD # 92 choose not to participate in the survey

McCreary Centre Society Northwest Region Map

McCreary Centre Society Encouraging Trends in the Northwest Geographic Area Trying alcohol  Current smokers  Exposed to tobacco smoke in home on a daily basis  Having sex before age 14  Injured  Physical fights  Girls with a history of sexual abuse  Discrimination due to physical appearance  Birth control use  Condom use  Drinking & driving 

McCreary Centre Society Challenges in the Northwest Geographic Area Feeling safe at school  Ever used marijuana  Frequent marijuana use in past month  Overweight 

McCreary Centre Society  72% are European  19% are Aboriginal  97% of youth in this region were born in Canada Family Background

McCreary Centre Society  Most students in this region (85%) report excellent or good health  More boys than girls feel they have excellent or good health (91% vs. 79%)  14% of students in this region have a chronic health condition or disability that limits their activity (16% girls, 11% boys) Physical Health Status

McCreary Centre Society  43% of girls and 56% of boys say they are satisfied with their appearance  In this region, 27% of boys and 19% of girls are overweight (based on BMI from height and weight given on survey)  78% of boys and 72% of girls exercised 3 or more days a week  Level of exercise decreases with age Physical Health: Appearance, Weight & Exercise

Hours Spent in Front of a Screen on School Day

McCreary Centre Society Nutrition  51% of students in this region always eat breakfast on school days  Eating breakfast daily declines with age  Boys are more likely to always eat breakfast on a school day (56% vs. 46%)

Eat Breakfast on a School Day

McCreary Centre Society  In BC injuries among youth declined between  39% of youth in this region reported being injured seriously enough to require medical care  Most injuries occurred during a sports or recreational activity Injuries

Injury Prevention Behaviour by Gender

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Tobacco Non- Smoker Experimental Smoker Current Smoker Northwest Region %24%7% BC %19%7% Northwest Area %24%7% Northwest Area %27%23%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Alcohol NorthwestBC Ever had a drink of alcohol69%57% Used alcohol 100+ days in life10% Binge drinking on 3+ days in past month 13%11%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Ever Used Marijuana Northwest Region % BC % Northwest Geographic Area % Northwest Geographic Area % Northwest Geographic Area %

McCreary Centre Society  Youth are delaying the start of sexual activity  25% of boys and 30% girls in this region have ever had sexual intercourse  17% of sexually active youth in this region first had intercourse before age 14 (20% in BC) Sexual Behaviour

Sexual Behaviour: Birth Control Used Last Time Had Sex

McCreary Centre Society  72% of sexually active students in this region report using a condom the last time they had sex (BC average is 68%)  The group least likely to use a condom the last time they had sex was sexually active students 17 years of age and older  31% of sexually active students in this region report having sex with 3 or more partners in their lifetime  14% of sexually active youth reported 2 or more partners in the last 3 months Sexual Behaviour: Risk of STDs

McCreary Centre Society  In this region, 6% of youth experienced serious emotional distress within the past month  Girls are more likely than boys to feel seriously distressed (9% girls, whereas the number of boys was too small to report in this region)  16% reported ever being physically abused  9% reported ever being sexually abused Emotional Health

McCreary Centre Society  Suicide thoughts and attempts among youth in BC have not declined in the past decade  16% in the Northwest region said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year  12% had actually planned the suicide attempt  In the past year, 4% of students attempted suicide once and 3% attempted suicide 2 or more times  Girls were more likely than boys to have attempted suicide in the past year  Boys are more likely to die in a suicide attempt Emotional Health: Suicide

McCreary Centre Society  31% of youth in the Northwest region said they had been discriminated against due to skin colour, sexual orientation, or physical appearance, in the past 12 months Emotional Health: Discrimination

Sexual Harassment in Past Year

Harassment, Exclusion, & Assault by Another Youth at School in Past Year

McCreary Centre Society  25% of students in this region say they were in a physical fight in the past year  Young people who feel safe have better physical health and emotional health and are less likely to take risks Violence and Safety

McCreary Centre Society Help Seeking Youth sought help from: Sought help Found Helpful School staff 29%83% Health professional 36%88% Social worker, youth worker, counselor 13%66% Religious leader 11%72%

McCreary Centre Society  Internet safety is a growing concern  In the Northwest region, 5% of boys and 26% of girls have encountered a stranger on the internet who made them feel unsafe  5% of boys and 8% of girls in this region have run away in the past year  Running away from home is associated with a greatly increased likelihood of risky behaviours Violence and Safety

McCreary Centre Society  In this region, 78% of students say they like school some or very much  Girls are more likely than boys to have very positive feelings about school  Dislike for school tends to increase with age  73% of students in this region plan to continue their education past secondary school (75% in BC) School

Always Feel Safe at School by Grade

McCreary Centre Society Always or Usually Feel Safe at School in… Library86% Classroom82% Cafeteria74% Washrooms67% Hallways64% Outside on school property during school hours 61%

McCreary Centre Society  42% of students in this region have a paid, part time job  87% of students in this region say they have money to spend on themselves each week  52% of the youth in the Northwest region say they have gambled in the past year (5% gamble 1+ times a week) Community and Leisure

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development: Family Connectedness  Youth with high family and school connectedness are less likely to engage in risky behaviours  The presence of parents in the home at critical times of the day has been shown to promote healthy youth development

Family Connectedness & Risk Behaviours

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development: School Connectedness  Students who like and feel connected to their school are healthier and achieve better academically  Students that are highly connected to school are less likely to engage in risky behaviours

School Connectedness & Risk Behaviours #

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development is Associated With:  Feeling safe at school  Enjoying school  Having aspirations for post-secondary education  Having a parent or other adult who they can talk to about concerns  Feeling they are good at something  Involvement in extracurricular activities  Volunteering in the community

McCreary Centre Society Summary  This report highlights the importance of connectedness to family, school and community in fostering health and decreasing risk behaviours in youth  While some aspects of youth health have improved or stayed the same, there is still room for improvement in many areas

McCreary Centre Society Available at For More Information