McCreary Centre Society Adolescent Health Survey III: 2003 results in preparation for 2008 AHS IV A Brief Summary of Results for the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap 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 Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Region  Located in both the Interior and Northeast Geographic Areas (used for identifying trends)  Includes school districts: # 19 Revelstoke (Interior Geographic Area) # 27 Cariboo-Chilcotin (Northeast Geographic Area) # 58 Nicola-Similkameen (Interior Geographic Area) # 73 Kamloops/Thompson (Interior Geographic Area) # 74 Gold Trail (Interior Geographic Area) # 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap (Interior Geographic Area)  All 6 school districts participated in the survey

McCreary Centre Society Encouraging Trends in the Interior Geographic Area* Injuries among girls  Alcohol use  Drinking & driving  Smoking  Involvement in fights  Discrimination due to physical appearance  Ever had sex before age 14  Condom use  *Includes school districts #19, #22, #23, #53, #58, #67, #73, #74, and #83

McCreary Centre Society Challenges in the Interior Geographic Area* Feeling safe at school  Expect to attend post- secondary school  Overweight  Self-report health status as “excellent”  Frequent marijuana use in past month  Binge drinking in past month  No change in exercising 3+ times week *Includes school districts #19, #22, #23, #53, #58, #67, #73, #74, and #83

McCreary Centre Society Encouraging Trends in the Northeast Geographic Area* *Includes school districts #27, #28, #57, #59, #60, #81, #91 Feeling safe at school  Experiences of racial discrimination  Overweight  Self-report health status as “excellent”  Ever used marijuana  No change in binge drinking in past month No change in exercising 3+ times week

McCreary Centre Society Challenges in the Northeast Geographic Area* 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 #27, #28, #57, #59, #60, #81, #91

McCreary Centre Society Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Region Map

McCreary Centre Society Family Background  73% European  13% Aboriginal/First Nations  40% ever lived on reserve  24% currently living on a reserve  3% East Asian  2% South Asian  66% Live with both parents

McCreary Centre Society Physical Health  86% reported excellent or good health  Boys were more likely than girls to rate health as excellent or good (90 vs. 83%)  13% have a chronic health condition or disability which limits activity (10% of boys and 14% of girls)

McCreary Centre Society Appearance and Weight BoysGirls Not satisfied with appearance10%23% Satisfied with appearance64%42% Overweight23%13% Trying to lose weight21%57%

Hours Spent in Front of a Screen on School Day

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Eating & Exercise  50% always eat breakfast on a school day  Eating breakfast daily declines with age  3% of males and 8% of females reported ever purging  Most youth in this region exercise 3+ days a week (81% of boys and 68% of girls)

McCreary Centre Society Injuries  41% had an injury requiring medical attention  Most injuries occurred during sport or recreation activities  31% of students have a valid driver’s license; 35% of these drivers had driven after using drugs or alcohol  Students aged 15 or 16 were most likely to experience an injury requiring medical attention

McCreary Centre Society Injury Prevention BoysGirls Driving after using alcohol in last month* 20%12% Never drink and drive*62%69% Always wear a seatbelt53%54% Always wear a bike helmet29% 26% *of licensed drivers

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Tobacco Thompson Cariboo Shuswap BC Non-smoker67%73% Experimental smoker23%19% Current smoker9%7%

McCreary Centre Society Substance Use: Alcohol Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region has higher than provincial average rates of trying alcohol, alcohol use, and binge drinking Thompson Cariboo Shuswap BC Ever had a drink of alcohol67%57% Used alcohol 100+ days in life 12%10% Binge drinking on 3+ days in past month 16%11%

McCreary Centre Society  Use increases with age  Boys more likely than girls to be heavy users of marijuana Substance Use: Ever Used Marijuana Thompson Cariboo Shuswap46% BC37% Of the those in the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap who have used marijuana:

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour  Youth are waiting longer to have sex  71% of youth in this region reported never having sexual intercourse  Of those who are sexually active, 22% had sex before age 14

Sexual Behaviour: Birth Control Used Last Time Had Sex

McCreary Centre Society Sexual Behaviour: Risk of STDs  69% of students who have had sex in Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region used a condom last time had sex (BC average is 68%)  Sexually active students 17 years of age and older were the least likely to use a condom the last time they had sex  34% of sexually active students in this region reported 3+ partners in lifetime  30% of sexually active students used alcohol or drugs the last time they had sex

Sexual Harassment in the Past Year

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health  17% of youth have ever been physically abused  16% of females have ever been sexually abused  9% experienced serious emotional distress in the past month  29% have been discriminated against due to skin colour, sexual orientation or physical appearance

McCreary Centre Society Emotional Health: Suicide  Suicidal thoughts and attempts have not declined in BC youth since 1992  More females in the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region report seriously considering suicide (22% females vs. 12% males)  11% of females have reported attempting suicide  Males are more likely to die in an attempt

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

McCreary Centre Society Violence & 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 have better physical and emotional health, and are less likely to take risks  Feeling safe at school was highest in grades 11 and 12 for youth in the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region

Always Feel Safe at School BoysGirls

McCreary Centre Society Library85% Classroom80% Cafeteria71% Washrooms66% Hallways63% Outside on school property during school hours 58% Always or Usually Feel Safe at School in…

McCreary Centre Society  Internet safety is a growing concern  8% of boys and 27% of girls have encountered a stranger over the internet who made them feel unsafe  8% of boys and 12% of girls have run away in the past year  Running away is associated with a greatly increased likelihood of risky behaviours Violence & Safety

McCreary Centre Society Seeking Help In the past year, youth sought help from: Found Helpful School Staff 32% 80% Health Professional 33% 86% Social Worker, Youth Worker, Counselor 14% 71% Religious Leader 11% 77%

McCreary Centre Society Community and Leisure  45% of youth have a paid, part-time job  39% of youth 17 years and older work 5-19 hours per week  86% have money to spend on themselves each week  54% of Interior youth have gambled in the past year

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development A strong sense of connection with school, family and community has shown to promote health and reduce risk-taking behaviour

McCreary Centre Society School  78% of students like school some or very much  Girls are more likely to have positive feelings about school  Dislike for school increases with age  69% of students plan to continue their education to post-secondary school (75% in BC)  35% of students skipped school at least once in past month

School Connectedness & Risk Behaviours

Family Connectedness & Risk Behaviours

McCreary Centre Society Healthy Youth Development  The majority of students in the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region felt they were “good” at something  High self-esteem and optimism are associated with positive well-being

McCreary Centre Society  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 Healthy Youth Development is Associated With:

Healthy Youth Development: Volunteering

Healthy Youth Development: Weekly Extracurricular Activities

Healthy Youth Development: Religiosity/Spirituality

McCreary Centre Society For More Information Available at