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

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)

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!”

What is the RACYS?

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 - 127 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

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.

RACYS Participants

https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/E7QYvUuNEaC17Aq

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.

https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/5IVvi04jP2IIcud

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

https://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/6V9nPqIhhPJXaBo

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

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

https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LCrYfBqd354V917

*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.

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

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.

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.

Thank you!