McCreary Centre Society Adolescent Health Survey III: 2003 results in preparation for 2008 AHS IV A Brief Summary of Results for the Richmond 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 Richmond Region  Located in the Greater Vancouver Geographic Area (used to identify trends)  The Richmond School District (#38) is the only school district in the Richmond Region

McCreary Centre Society Richmond Region

McCreary Centre Society What’s Improved: Trends for Greater Vancouver Area Trying alcohol  Current smokers  Exposed to tobacco smoke in home on a daily basis  Injuries  Drinking & driving  Having sex before age 14  Physical fights  Girls with a history of sexual abuse  Physical abuse  Condom use  Birth control use 

McCreary Centre Society What Needs Improvement: Trends for Greater Vancouver Area Feeling safe at school  Always use seatbelts  Racial discrimination  Boys who are overweight  Girls who seriously considered suicide  Frequent marijuana use  Frequent binge drinking  Expect to attend post secondary  No change in exercising 3+ days a week

McCreary Centre Society Family Background  48% of youth are East Asian  31% European  9% South Asian  8% Southeast Asian  2% Aboriginal/First Nations  51% of students were born in Canada

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health Status  Most students in this region (84%) report excellent or good health  More boys than girls feel they have excellent or good health (87% vs. 81%)  8% of students in this region have a chronic health condition or disability that limits their activity (10% of girls & 7% of boys)

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health: Appearance, Weight & Exercise  40% of girls and 53% of boys are satisfied with their appearance  19% of boys and 9% of girls are overweight (based on BMI from height and weight given on survey)  69% of boys and 57% of girls exercise 3+ days a week  Level of exercise decreases with age

Hours Spent in Front of a Screen on School Day

McCreary Centre Society Nutrition  Less than half of students (48%) always eat breakfast on a school day  50% of boys and 47% of girls always eat breakfast on a school day  Eating breakfast daily declines with age

Eat Breakfast on a School Day

McCreary Centre Society Injuries  In BC, injuries have declined between 1998 and 2003  Richmond has a lower rate of injuries (24%) 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 Richmond %16%5% BC %19%7% Greater Vancouver Area %16%6% Greater Vancouver Area %26%12%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Alcohol Richmond has lower than provincial average rate of trying alcohol, alcohol use and binge drinking RichmondBC Ever had a drink of alcohol44%57% Used alcohol 100+ days in life6%10% Binge drinking on 3+ days in past month 7%11%

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

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour  Youth are waiting longer to have sex  16% of youth in Richmond have ever had sexual intercourse (24% in BC)  17% of sexually active youth in Richmond 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  64% of Richmond students who have had sex used a condom last time they had sex (BC average is 68%)  Use of condoms is lowest among sexually active students 17 years of age and older  28% of sexually active students in this region reported 3+ partners in lifetime  22% of sexually active youth reported using drugs or alcohol last time they had sex

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health  8% of youth in Richmond reported experiencing serious emotional distress in the past month  Girls are more likely than boys (10% vs. 6%) to report feeling seriously distressed  14% report ever being physically abused  5% report ever being sexually abused

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 Richmond said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year  11% had actually planned a suicide attempt  3% attempted suicide once and 3% attempted two or more times in past year (9% girls vs. 4% boys)  Males are more likely to die in an attempt

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health: Discrimination  27% of youth in Richmond said they had been discriminated against due to skin colour, sexual orientation or physical appearance in the past twelve 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 at home, at school and in the community have better physical and emotional health and are less likely to take risks

Always Feel Safe at School by Grade

McCreary Centre Society Always or Usually Feel Safe at School in… Library82% Classroom79% Cafeteria65% Washrooms57% Hallways60% Outside on school property during school hours 50%

McCreary Centre Society Violence and Safety  Internet safety is a growing concern  In Richmond, 8% of boys and 20% of girls have encountered a stranger on the Internet who made them feel unsafe  7% of boys and 8 % of girls have run away in the past year  Running away is associated with a greatly increased likelihood of risky behaviours

McCreary Centre Society Community and Leisure  31% of students had a paid, part-time job  86% of Richmond students say they have money to spend on themselves  45% of youth in Richmond say they have gambled in the past year (6% 1+ times a week)

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development: Family Connectedness  Youth with high family and school connectedness are less likely to engage in risky 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  83% of students like school some or very much  Girls are more likely to have positive feelings about school than boys  Dislike for school increases with age  81% of students in Richmond plan to continue their education in 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 risky 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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