McCreary Centre Society Adolescent Health Survey III: 2003 results in preparation for 2008 AHS IV A Brief Summary of Results for the North Shore/Coast Garibaldi 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 North Shore/Coast Garibaldi Region  Located in the both the Greater Vancouver and Upper Island Geographic Areas (used for identifying trends)  Includes school districts: # 44 North Vancouver (Greater Vancouver Geographic Area) # 45 West Vancouver (Greater Vancouver Geographic Area) # 46 Sunshine Coast (Upper Island Geographic Area) # 47 Powell River (Upper Island Geographic Area) # 48 Howe Sound (Upper Island Geographic Area) # 49 Central Coast (Upper Island Geographic Area)  The only school district that did not participate was Central Coast (# 49)

McCreary Centre Society Trying alcohol  Current smokers  Exposed to tobacco smoke in home on a daily basis  Having sex before age 14  Injuries  Physical fights  Girls with a history of physical abuse  Exercise 3+ days a week  Birth control use  Condom use  Drinking & driving  Encouraging Trends in the Greater Vancouver Geographic Area* *Includes school districts #44 and #45

McCreary Centre Society Challenges in the Greater Vancouver Geographic Area* Feeling safe at school  Expect to attend post- secondary school  Boys who are Overweight  Frequent marijuana use in past month  Binge drinking in past month  Girls who seriously consider suicide  *Includes school districts #44 and #45

McCreary Centre Society Trying alcohol  Current smokers  Exposed to tobacco smoke in home on a daily basis  Having sex before age 14  Injuries  Physical fights  Girls with a history of physical abuse  Birth control use  Condom use  Severe emotional distress  Encouraging Trends in the Upper Island Geographic Area* *Includes school districts #46, #47, #48 and #49

McCreary Centre Society Alcohol use  Drinking & driving  Smoking  Ever had sex before age 14  Involvement in fights  Discrimination due to physical appearance  Sexual abuse of females  Condom use  *Includes school districts #46, #47, #48 and #49 Challenges in the Upper Island Geographic Area*

McCreary Centre Society North Shore/Coast Garibaldi Region

McCreary Centre Society Family Background  67% of youth are European  11% East Asian  6% West Asian  5% Aboriginal  35% of Aboriginal students currently living on a reserve  79% of students were born in Canada

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health Status  Most students in this region (89%) report excellent or good health  More boys than girls feel they have excellent or good health (92% vs. 85%)  9% of students in this region have a chronic health condition or disability that limits their activity

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health: Appearance, Weight & Exercise  43% of girls and 61% of boys are satisfied with their appearance  20% of boys and 10% of girls are overweight (based on BMI from height and weight given on survey)  80% of boys and 69% 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  Only about half of students (52%) always eat breakfast on a school day  Eating breakfast daily declines with age  Boys are most likely to always eat breakfast on a school day (55% vs. 49%)

Nutrition: Eat Breakfast on a School Day

McCreary Centre Society Injuries  In BC injuries have declined between 1998 and 2003  North Shore/Coast Garibaldi has a higher rate of injuries (39%) than the provincial average (34%)  Most injuries occurred during a sports or recreational activity

Injury Prevention Behaviour by Gender

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Tobacco Non- Smoker Experimental Smoker Current Smoker North Shore/Coast Garibaldi %20%7% BC %19%7% Upper Island %21%7% Upper Island %30%17% Greater Vancouver Area %16%6% Greater Vancouver Area %26%12%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Alcohol The North Shore/Coast Garibaldi rate of trying alcohol, alcohol use, and binge drinking is higher than provincial average NS/CG BC Ever had a drink of alcohol63%57% Used alcohol 100+ days in life12%10% Binge drinking on 3+ days in past month 14%11%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Ever Used Marijuana North Shore/Coast Garibaldi % BC % Upper Island Area % Upper Island Area % Upper Island Area % Greater Vancouver Area % Greater Vancouver Area % Greater Vancouver Area %

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour  Youth are waiting longer to have sex  23% of youth in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi have ever had sexual intercourse (24% in BC)  17% of sexually active youth first had intercourse before age 14 (20% in BC)

Sexual Behaviour: Birth Control Used Last Time Having Sex

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour: Risk of STDs  65% of sexually active students in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi used a condom last time had sex (BC average is 68%)  Sexually active students 17 years of age and older were the least likely group to use a condom the last time they had sex  32% of sexually active students in this area reported 3 or more partners in lifetime  5% of sexually active youth reported 3 or more partners in past 3 months

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health  8% of youth in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi reported to have experienced serious emotional distress in the past month  Girls are more likely than boys (12% vs. 6%) to report to feeling seriously distressed  13% report ever being physically abused  6% 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  14% of students in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year  10% had actually planned a suicide attempt  3% attempted suicide once in the past year and 3% attempted suicide two or more times (9% girls vs. 3% boys)  Males are more likely to die in an attempt

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health: Discrimination  27% of youth in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi said they had been discriminated against due to skin colour, sexual orientation or physical appearance in the past 12 months

Sexual Harassment in Past Year

Harassment, Exclusion, & Assault by Another Youth at School in Past Year

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

Help Seeking

McCreary Centre Society Violence and Safety  Internet safety is a growing concern  In North Shore/Coast Garibaldi, 7% of boys and 22% of girls have encountered a stranger on the Internet who made them feel unsafe  7% of boys and 10 % of girls have run away in the past year  Running away is associated with a greatly increased likelihood of risky behaviours

Always Feel Safe at School by Grade

McCreary Centre Society Always or Usually Feel Safe at School in… Library89% Classroom85% Cafeteria73% Washrooms71% Hallways70% Outside on school property during school hours 63%

McCreary Centre Society Community and Leisure  41% of students had a paid, part-time job  90% of students say they have money to spend on themselves each week  56% of youth in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi say they have gambled in the past year (6% once a week or more)

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development: Family Connectedness  Youth with high family 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 Behaviour

McCreary Centre Society School  77% of students like school some or very much  Girls are more likely to have positive feelings about school  Dislike for school increases with age  76% of students in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi plan to continue their education past 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 to talk to about concerns  Feeling good at something  Involvement in extracurricular activities  Volunteering in the community

McCreary Centre Society Summary  While some aspects of youth health have improved or stayed the same, there is still room for improvement in many areas  This report highlights the importance of connectedness to family, school and community in fostering health and decreasing risk behaviours in youth

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