Adolescent Health Survey III: 2003 results in preparation for 2008 AHS IV A Brief Summary of Results for the South Vancouver Island/Capital Region AHS I in 1992 with 16,000 students participating; AHS II in 1998 with 26,000 students participating; AHS III in 2003 with 31,000 students participating. 140 questions on health status, health-promoting practice and risky behaviours Designed to identify factors that influence present and future health Classes randomly selected to provide a representative sample of all Health Service Delivery Area regions in the province Administered by Public Health Nurses and trained administrators Careful attention was paid to the sample size, selection, confidentiality, administration procedures, validity of responses and analysis to ensure accuracy Page 10-11: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

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 Page 4: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

South Vancouver Island Region Located in the Capital Geographic Area (used for identifying trends) Includes school districts: # 61 Greater Victoria # 62 Sooke # 63 Saanich # 64 Gulf Islands All 4 school districts participated in survey

South Vancouver Island Region Map These regions were created by the BC government in 2001 in relation to Health Service Delivery Areas

What’s Improved: Trends for Capital Geographic Area Birth control pill é Trying alcohol ê Current smokers ê Having sex before age 14 ê Injuries ê Drinking & driving ê Exposure to smoke in the home every day or almost every day ê Boys involved in 1+ physical fights ê Pages 8-9: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

What Needs Improvement: Trends for Capital Geographic Area Feeling safe at school ê Self-reported health status of “Excellent” ê Expect to attend post-secondary school ê Injured while riding a bike, rollerblading or skateboarding é Overweight é Racial discrimination é

Family Background 75% of youth are European 7% are East Asian 6% Aboriginal 25% of Aboriginal students have ever lived on a reserve 90% of students were born in Canada Page 12: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Physical Health Status Most students in this region (87%) report excellent or good health More boys than girls feel they have excellent or good health (90% vs. 83%) 12% of students in this region have a chronic health condition or disability that limits their activity Page 19: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Physical Health: Appearance, Weight & Exercise 48% of girls and 60% of boys are satisfied with their appearance 21% of boys and 13% of girls are overweight (based on BMI from height and weight given on survey) 81% of boys and 71% of girls exercise 3+ days a week Level of exercise decreases with age The majority of students think they are about the right weight, this belief declines with age 46% of girls and 12% of boys dieted to lose weight in the past year 16% of boys and 35% of girls report binge eating or gorging at least once in a while 8% of girls report ever vomiting on purpose after eating Pages 19-21: Healthy Youth Development:

Hours Spent in Front of a Screen on School Day Students were asked to estimate how much time they spend watching television and on the computer playing games, emailing, chatting, or surfing the Internet 60% of students said they watch 2 or more hours of television compared to 43% who used the computer for 2 or more hours for recreation 22% of students say they watch TV or use the computer for games or recreation for less than 2 hours on a school day 51% of students who said they were bored spend 5 or more hours on school days watching TV or using the computer for recreation Page 32: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Nutrition 52% of students always eat breakfast on school days Younger youth are more likely to eat breakfast daily Boys are more likely than girls to always eat breakfast on a school day (59% vs. 46%) Page 21: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Nutrition: Eat Breakfast on School Day by Grade Page 21: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Injuries In BC, injuries have declined between 1998 and 2003 37% of youth in South Vancouver Island reported being injured seriously enough to require medical care Most injuries occurred during a sports or recreational activity Page 22: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Injury Prevention Behaviour by Gender Page 23: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Substance Use: Tobacco Non- Smoker Experimental Smoker Current Smoker South Vancouver Island Region 2003 74% 19% 6% BC 2003 73% 7% Capital Area 2003 Capital Area 1998 52% 30% 15% Definitions: Non-smoker: never smoked a whole cigarette Experimental smoker: has smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes Current smoker: has smoked 100+ cigarettes Of students who have smoked, 62% smoked their first cigarette when they were between ages 11 and 14 years. Of current smokers, 77% have tried to quit in the past month 27% of students in this region are exposed to tobacco smoke inside their home Page 14: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Substance Use: Alcohol Capital region has a higher than provincial average rate of trying alcohol, alcohol use and binge drinking Capital Area 2003 BC Ever had a drink of alcohol 63% 57% Used alcohol 100+ days in life 11% 10% Binge drinking on 3+ days in past month 14% Binge drinking is defined as having five or more alcoholic drinks in a couple of hours and is associated with high rate of other risk behaviours Use of alcohol increases with age (39% of 14 years and under; 74% of 15 & 16 year olds; 85% of 17 or older have tried alcohol) 17% of students who have used alcohol have used it 100 or more days in lifetime 32% of males and 26% of females have engaged in binge drinking in past month Page 13: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Substance Use: Ever Used Marijuana S. Vancouver Island 2003 45% BC 2003 37% Capital Area 2003 Capital Area 1998 50% Capital Area 1992 34% 31% of boys and 18% of girls who had used marijuana, used it 100 or more times in their life Boys and girls are equally likely to have used marijuana Use increases with age: 23% of youth 14 years and under; 54% of 15 & 16 year olds; 67% of 17 and older have tried marijuana Page 18: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Sexual Behaviour Youth are waiting longer to have sex 27% of youth in South Vancouver Island have ever had sexual intercourse (24% in BC) 18% of sexually active youth first had intercourse before age 14 (20% in BC) The likelihood of being sexually active increases with age: 9% of youth 14 years and under; 28% of 15 & 16 year olds; 54% of 17 and older have had sex Page 17: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Sexual Behaviour: Birth Control Used Last Time Having Sex Remember this data is for those who are sexually active only 27% of the students in grades 7-12. Page 18: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Sexual Behaviour: Risk of STDs 65% of sexually active students in South Vancouver Island region used a condom last time they had sex (BC average is 68%) The group the least likely to use a condom the last time they had sex was sexually active students 17 years of age and older 29% of sexually active students in this region reported 3 or more partners in lifetime 12% of sexually active youth reported two or more partners in past 3 months Multiple partners are known to increase risk of acquiring an STD The number of students who reported to ever having had an STD was too small to report in this region Males more likely than females to use alcohol and drugs before sex (29% vs. 23%) Use of alcohol and drugs has been shown to increase the risk of unprotected sex Page 18: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Emotional Health 7% of youth in South Vancouver Island reported serious emotional distress in the past month Girls are more likely than boys (10% vs. 4%) to report serious emotional distress 15% report ever being physically abused 8% report ever sexually abused Page 24: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Emotional Health: Suicide Suicide thoughts and attempts among youth in BC have not declined over the past decade 15% of students in South Vancouver Island said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year 11% had actually planned a suicide attempt 3% attempted suicide once in the past year Girls are more likely than boys to have attempted suicide in the past year (7% vs. 3%), though boys are more likely to die in an attempt Youth with a family member who committed or attempted suicide are at higher risk of suicide themselves Page 25: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Emotional Health: Discrimination 28% of youth in South Vancouver Island said they had been discriminated against due to skin colour, sexual orientation or physical appearance in the past 12 months Page 25: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Sexual Harassment in Past Year Page 27-28: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Harassment, Exclusion, & Assault by Another Youth at School in Past Year Pages 27-28: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Violence and Safety Involvement in physical fights has decreased Young people who feel safe at home, at school and in the community have better physical and emotional health and are less likely to take risks 27% of students were in a physical fight Boys are more likely than girls to be in a fight (38% vs. 17%) 8% of students carried a weapon to school in past month Weapon most often carried was a knife Page 27: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Help Seeking

Violence and Safety Internet safety is a growing concern In South Vancouver Island, 6% of boys and 23% of girls have encountered a stranger on the Internet who made them feel unsafe 8% of boys and 11% of girls have run away in the past year Running away is associated with a greatly increased likelihood of risky behaviours p.30

School 78% of students like school some or very much Girls are more likely to have positive feelings about school Dislike for school is highest among students in grades 9 and 12 71% of students in South Vancouver Island plan to continue their education to post-secondary school (75% in BC) p.31

Always Feel Safe at School by Grade In this region, a sense of safety at school was highest in grades 11 (54%) and 12 (58%) Page 27: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Always or Usually Feel Safe at School in… Library 87% Classroom 85% Cafeteria 76% Washrooms 67% Hallways 69% Outside on school property during school hours 64% Page 27: Healthy Youth Development: South Vancouver Island Region

Community and Leisure 43% of students had a paid, part-time job 88% of students say they have money to spend on themselves 55% of youth in South Vancouver Island say they have gambled in the past year (7% once a week or more)

Healthy Youth Development: Family Connectedness Youth with high family connectedness are less likely to engage in some 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

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

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 Being involved in extracurricular activities Volunteering in the community

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 areas

For More Information Available at www.mcs.bc.ca