1. R isky Behaviors Among Pitt County Youth 2007

2. Data collection  Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to middle school students taking health/physical education in April/May 2007 n = 2020 49.8% female 38.5% white 44.9% black  All behaviors  Student Risk Behavior Survey administered to high school students in April/May 2007 n = 5003 51.4% female 42.1% white 41.2% black  Drug behaviors only

3. Personal Safety

4. Ridden in car with drinking driver

5. Seat belts and bicycle helmets  9.3% of middle school students rarely or never wore a seat belt when riding in a car while 43.3% reported they always wear a seatbelt.  Of the students that reported riding a bicycle, 75.1% rarely or never wore a helmet. 9.3% always wear a helmet.

6. Violence and Safety

7. Fighting and weapons  61.2% of middle school students had ever been in a physical fight  6.1% had been in a physical fight in which he/she was hurt and needed to be treated by a doctor or nurse.  39.3% of students reported they had ever carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club.

8. Harassment and bullying  35.0% of the middle school students had been the victim of teasing or name calling because of their weight, size, or physical appearance in the past 30 days.  5.3% had not gone to school during the past 30 days because he/she felt unsafe at school or on the way to school.  27.8% had been harassed or bullied on school property during the past 12 months.  57.8% agreed/strongly agreed that harassment/bullying by other students is a problem at school.

9. Suicide and Depression

10. Thinking about and planning suicide

11. Depression  In 2007, 22.8% of middle school students said they felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities.

12. Substance Use

13. Experimental substance use: Middle school

14. Current substance use: Middle school

15. High school substance use  35% have smoked a whole cigarette  21% have smoked in the last 30 days  63% have had a drink containing alcohol  37% have consumed alcohol in the last 30 days  41% have tried marijuana  25% have used marijuana in the last 30 days

16. Perception of risk

17. Perception of parental disapproval

18. Perception of peer disapproval

19. Experimentation with other substances  14% of middle school students and 18% of high school students have used inhalants  5% of middle school students have taken prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription  4% of middle schoolers and 10% of high schoolers have used some form of cocaine in lifetime  4% of middle school students have used steroids

20. Body Image

21. Weight loss tactics  Students describing themselves as: slightly or very underweight 21.7% about the right weight 54.8% slightly or very overweight 23.5  43.6% of students said they were trying to lose weight.

22. Nutrition

23.  On a typical day, students reported: 37.9% eat 3 or more servings of fruit. 27.2% eat 3 or more servings of vegetables. 50.4% drink a soft drink or sweetened beverage 3 or more times. 75.6% drank at least one glass of milk.  In the past 7 days: 38.9% had eaten breakfast every day 34.3% had eaten dinner at home with family every day.

24. Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

25. Days of 60 minutes of physical activity in past week

26. Sedentary behavior 44.4% of children reported watching 3 or more hours of TV on an average school day and 58.6% on an average weekend day. 30.7% of students reported watching 5 or more hours of TV on an average weekend day.

27. For more information, contact: Susan Morrissey Research Associate ECU Dept of Family Medicine 252-744-3037 morrisseys@ecu.edu