1. Straight Up
Engaging Youth in Conversations about Colorado Teen Substance Misuse Data

2. Objectives
Discuss substance misuse data from the 2016 Rise Above Colorado Youth Survey (RACYS), including risk and protective factors
Discuss hopes and concerns around substance misuse
Discuss strategies to promote youth behavioral health (social, emotional and mental health, including substance misuse prevention)

3. Icebreaker Name Your place of birth Your favorite movie
How comfortable are you talking about data on a Scale of 1 to 5? (1 is “not at all really” and 5 is “I love data – bring it!”

4. What is the RACYS?

5. Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Rise Above CO Youth Survey
Age
6-8 grades, 9-12 grades
12-17 years
Regions
21 Health Statistic Regions
6 OBH Regions
Last year of collection
2015
2016
Data collection method
Paper at school
Online and phone survey
Sample size
High School Sample: 15,970 students schools Middle School Sample: 997 students - 30 schools
607 total (250 reached online)
Sampling design
Weighted to represent enrollment in CO public middle/high schools
Weighted to 2010 Census by county/OBH Region
Areas of focus
Protective Factors, Health Behaviors and Social-Emotional Indicators
Behavioral Health
OPTIONAL: background more for adults who know HKCS to understand why differences in data exist – METHODS! 
Every other year administration - provides interim check in points for program evaluation and planning
Complimentary participation - school-based vs community-based
Breadth (HKCS) vs Depth (RAC)
Equity conversations - ability to demonstrate sub-group level data and validation of RAC data results for those subgroups
Include HKCS stats on Rx by Race / Gender / Sexuality etc

6. RACYS Participants
Representative sample of the state based on Census Data 2010
Asking about sexual and gender identification was a new question and was tested with the online version only, which reached 250 youth.

7. RACYS Participants

9. 3 years after legalization, we saw insignificant changes, meaning the slight decrease we do see with marijuana does not hold any value because it could have been due to a sampling error, meaning the sample size was not large enough to have certainty that this small of a difference is true for the whole population
We do see a very significant increase in alcohol usage, which is a good reminder that while our concerns about other substances grow, alcohol still remains the substance misused by most teens.

11. While the data did not show major increases in substance misuse, except for alcohol, the data did highlight a major concern. Access, curiosity and usage

13. Although there are many factors that contribute to teens’ decisions to misuse substances, mental health is a strong one.

14. Some other factors include:
Having schoolwork that is perceived as meaningful and important – a protective factor, decreases likelihood of teens misusing
Witnessing bad things happen bc of drug use – a strong risk factor for teen misuse. It’s hard to break the cycle because of the impact that experience has on our mental health
Seeing drugs as a way to cope with stress and pressure
Believing that experimentation is part of being a teenager and not that big of deal
This last factor is a big one. Peer is real, which is one issue we can big skills around. Other piece of this is the cultural pressure or our beliefs that misuse as a teenager is the norm and that everyone is doing it; it’s the only way to be cool, have friends and avoid social shaming or even bullying.
Let’s dive deeper into these perceptions

16. *Reported Use is in the Past 30 Days
The cultural pressures are real. The vast majority of teens overestimate their peers misusage of most substances. And the gap is pretty significant.
About two-thirds of middle school age teens overestimate alcohol and marijuana misuse by 18%. Only 2%, or 1 out of 50, middle school teens had used marijuana in the last month, but most thought a fifth, or 1 out of 5, of their peers had.
Misperceptions in high school are even greater with about 86% of high schools overestimating that a third more of their peers had used alcohol or marijuana in the past month than actually had.
These are huge gaps that have significant power over our decisions. If we realize that in reality not everyone is doing, it will decrease curiosity and acceptability and then also, decrease use.

17. Break into Small Groups to Discuss the Data & 8 Conversation Guide Questions
Provide the group with page 3 of the Engaging Youth in Data Discussions: A Conversation Guide and the RACYS Overall Fact Sheet

18. Large Group Debrief & Next Steps
What did you learn from discussing the data in small groups and bringing in your experience?
What are you most hopeful about now?
What are you most concerned about now?
What are you going to do differently because of this conversation?
What might we do about the concerns and hope we raised as a group?
Depending on the type of group you are working with, emphasize individual or group action.

19. Conclusions
Use is stable overall, but beginning earlier. Prevention efforts need to start earlier, by late elementary school.
Substance abuse prevention must include social, emotional, and mental health promotion - stress management, caring adults, self-esteem, communication skills and social norms.
Perception is often not reality, even for adults. Check your assumptions and language because words matter.
Circle back to what they said they will do differently or want to do as a group.

20. Thank you!