McCreary Centre Society Adolescent Health Survey III: 2003 results in preparation for 2008 AHS IV A Brief Summary of Results for the Vancouver 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 Vancouver Region  Located in the Greater Vancouver geographic area (used to identify trends)  The Vancouver School District #39 is the only school district in the Vancouver Region

McCreary Centre Society Vancouver Region

McCreary Centre Society What’s Improved: Trends for Vancouver Area Trying alcohol  Current smokers  Exposed to tobacco smoke in home on a daily basis  Having sex before age 14  Exercise 3 or more days a week  Injuries  Physical fights  Physical abuse  Condom use  Birth control use  Drinking & driving 

McCreary Centre Society What Needs Improvement: Trends for Vancouver Area Feeling safe at school  Always use seatbelts  Expect to attend post- secondary  Boys who are overweight  Racial discrimination  Girls who seriously considered suicide  Frequent marijuana use  No change in frequent binge drinking Self-reported health status as “excellent” 

McCreary Centre Society Family Background  49% of youth are East Asian  28% European  12% Southeast Asian  10% South Asian  2% Aboriginal/First Nations  60% of students were born in Canada

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health Status  Most students in this region (82%) report excellent or good health  More boys than girls feel they have excellent or good health (85% vs. 80%)  8% of students in this region have a chronic health condition or disability that limits their activity (9% of girls and 8% of boys)

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health: Appearance, Weight & Exercise  47% of boys and 39% of girls are satisfied with their appearance  20% of boys and 7% of girls are overweight (based on BMI from height and weight given on survey)  70% of boys and 56% of girls exercise 3 or more days a week  Level of exercise decreases with age

Hours Spent in Front of a Screen on School Day

McCreary Centre Society Nutrition  Only half of students (50%) always eat breakfast on a school day  Eating breakfast daily declines with age  Boys are most likely than girls to always eat breakfast on a school day (52% vs. 48%)

Eat Breakfast on a School Day

McCreary Centre Society Injuries  In BC injuries have declined between 1998 and 2003  Vancouver has a lower rate of injuries (22%) than the provincial average (34%)  Most injuries occurred during a sport or recreational activity

Injury Prevention Behaviour by Gender

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Tobacco Non- Smoker Experimental Smoker Current Smoker Vancouver %15%4% BC %19%7% Greater Vancouver Area %16%6% Greater Vancouver Area %26%12%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Alcohol Vancouver has lower than provincial average rates of trying alcohol, alcohol use, and binge drinking VancouverBC Ever had a drink of alcohol44%57% Used alcohol 100+ days in life 5%10% Binge drinking on 3+ days in past month 5%11%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Ever Used Marijuana Vancouver % BC % Greater Vancouver Area % Greater Vancouver Area % Greater Vancouver Area %

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour  Youth are waiting longer to have sex  15% of youth in Vancouver have ever had sexual intercourse (24% in BC)  19% of sexually active youth first had intercourse before age 14 (20% in BC)

Sexual Behaviour: Birth Control Used Last Time Had Sex

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour: Risk of STDs  67% of students who have had sex in Vancouver used a condom last time had sex (BC average is 68%)  Sexually active students 17 years of age and older were the least likely to use a condom the last time they had sex  30% of sexually active students in this region reported 3+ partners in lifetime  10% of sexually active youth reported 3+ partners in past 3 months

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health  9% of youth in Vancouver reported to have experienced serious emotional distress in the past month  10% of girls and 7% of boys feel seriously distressed  14% report physical abuse  7% report sexual abuse

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health: Suicide  Suicidal thoughts and attempts among youth in BC have not declined over the past decade  15% of students in Vancouver said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year  12% had actually planned a suicide attempt  6% attempted suicide in past year (9% girls vs. 3% boys)  Males are more likely to die in an attempt

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health: Discrimination 27% of youth in Vancouver said they had been discriminated against due to skin colour, sexual orientation or physical appearance in the past 12 months

Sexual Harassment in Past Year

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

Help Seeking

McCreary Centre Society Violence and Safety  Despite the media headlines, the 2003 survey results provided no evidence of an increase in violent behavior among youth  Young people who feel safe have better physical and emotional health, and are less likely to take risks

McCreary Centre Society Violence and Safety  Internet safety is a growing concern  In Vancouver, 6% of boys and 20% of girls have encountered a stranger on the Internet who made them feel unsafe  6% of youth have run away in the past year  Running away is associated with a greatly increased likelihood of risky behaviours

Always Feel Safe at School by Grade

McCreary Centre Society Always or Usually Feel Safe at School in… Library80% Classroom78% Cafeteria67% Washrooms55% Hallways59% Outside on school property during school hours 46%

McCreary Centre Society Community and Leisure  23% of students had a paid, part-time job  85% of students say they have money to spend on themselves each week  45% of youth in Vancouver say they have gambled in the past year (7% once a week or more)

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development: Family Connectedness  Youth with high family and school connectedness are less likely to engage in risk 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 School  81% of students like school some or very much  Girls are more likely to have positive feelings about school  Dislike for school increases with age  78% of students in Vancouver plan to continue their education to post-secondary school (75% in BC)

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 risk 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

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