West Chester Community Overview of Youth Survey Results Presented by: West Chester Area Communities That Care Youth Leadership Council 252 E. Market St. # 158 West Chester, PA Coordinated through: The COAD Group with funding from the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services

Key Points All twelve Chester County School Districts, plus two Centers for Arts & Technology participated In Fall of 2007, students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 were surveyed including: - 3,142 in the West Chester Community - 16,305 in Chester County - 16,547 in Pennsylvania ( (Note: Not all Chester County students were part of the state sample) Four strategies were used to assess the validity of the surveys; the following would be excluded: - Youth who exaggerate their use of drugs - Youth who exaggerate the frequency of other antisocial behaviors - Reported use of a fictitious drug - Repeated logically inconsistent pattern of substance use (7.2% of surveys were removed from the data)

Use Survey Results to: Develop a focus for planning Establish baseline data and expected outcomes Conduct public relations, outreach and education Support fund development

Fall 2007 Pennsylvania Youth Survey West Chester Community Results vs. Chester County vs. Pennsylvania vs. Monitoring the Future (National)

Alcohol – Past 30 Day Use – 2007 (Beer, wine, hard liquor)

Binge Drinking – 2007 (Five or More Drinks in a Row in the Past Two Weeks)

Cigarettes – Past 30 Day Use

Marijuana – Past 30 Day Use

Inhalants – Past 30 Day Use – 2007 (Sniffed glue, breathed the contents of an aerosol spray can, or inhaled other gases or sprays in order to get high)

Non–Medical Use of Rx Narcotics Past 30 Day Use

Non- Medical Use Rx Amphetamine Past 30 Day Use

Depression

“In the past year have you felt depressed or sad most days, even if you feel OK sometimes?”

“All in all, I am inclined to think that I am a failure.”

West Chester Community Results Fall 2001 Pennsylvania Youth Survey vs. Fall 2003 Pennsylvania Youth Survey vs. Fall 2005 Pennsylvania Youth Survey vs. Fall 2007 Pennsylvania Youth Survey

West Chester Community Alcohol Past 30-Day Use

West Chester Community Binge Drinking (Five or More Drinks in a Row in the Past Two Weeks)

West Chester Community Cigarettes Past 30-Day Use

West Chester Community Marijuana Past 30-Day Use

West Chester Community 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 Inhalants Past 30-Day Use

Alcohol Past 30 Day Frequency of Use

Cigarette Past 30 Day Frequency of Use

Drug and Alcohol Prevention Principles: A Public Health Model Planned strategies designed to preclude or reduce the use of drugs and alcohol, which have a negative impact on the individual, the family, the community and society at large. Risk and protective factor-focused prevention is based on the simple premise: to prevent a problem from happening, you must first identify the factors that increase the risk of that problem developing and then find ways to reduce those risks.

Protective Factors Those conditions that protect individuals from the negative consequences of exposure to risks by: - Reducing the impact of the risk - Changing the way a person responds to the risk Risk Factors Those conditions that increase the likelihood that an individual will engage in at-risk behaviors

Risk and Protective Factors Exist in All Areas This is important because if prevention efforts are only focused in a single area, a community may not significantly reduce problem behaviors This also means that prevention is everyone’s business

West Chester Community Identified Risk Factors Family Management Parental Attitudes Favorable towards risky behaviors Peer Attitudes Favorable towards risky behavior

West Chester Community Identified Protective Factors Family Attachment Community Rewards for Prosocial Behavior

Opportunities for Improvement West Chester community continues to show higher than state average levels of alcohol and marijuana use among 12 th grade students.

West Chester Community Efforts LifeSkills Training Program has been implemented in WCASD. A four year grant was secured from PCCD. Active partner with West Chester Area Communities that Care in State Incentive Grant targeting underage drinking and implementing Lions Quest Program.

“Parents are the single most important influence on children’s decision to smoke, drink or use drugs, yet many parents do not fully understand the extent of their influence” (Johnson and Johnson, 2000)