1. McCreary Centre Society www.mcs.bc.ca

2.  Administration took place in Grade 7-12 classes in 50 of the 59 BC School Districts.  Over 29 000 surveys were collected in 1,760 classrooms between February and June 2008.  Fraser South/Fraser East “I am happy to see a survey like this one. It’s about time questions were being asked. Now I am hoping to see some positive actions.” BC Youth Participant

3. A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

4.  Most students are doing well; nearly all 84% report good or excellent health  Serious injuries have declined  18% of females, 7% of males did not get mental health services they needed  Nearly half did not eat the recommended servings of fruits or vegetables yesterday

5. www.mcs.bc.ca  No change in physical activity: only 1 in 4 males, 1 in 10 females exercise every day  Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are lower for the first time since 1992  More than 1 in 5 females, 1 in 10 males reported deliberate self-harm

6. www.mcs.bc.ca  Far fewer youth smoke than a decade ago, and those who do started at older ages  Alcohol and marijuana use lower  Fewer students had ever used cocaine, amphetamines, or mushrooms, continuing declines since 1998  But use of some other drugs, including hallucinogens like LSD, rose

7. www.mcs.bc.ca  Relationship violence is unchanged since 2003; 9% of males, 6% of females  Pregnancy rates also stable, less than 2%  Reversing trends in physical and sexual abuse, after declines since 1992  Protective factors can help even the most vulnerable youth overcome risks

8. www.mcs.bc.ca Most BC teens are doing well, and report healthier behaviours than students 10 years ago

9. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

10. Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European49% South Asian20% East Asian12% Aboriginal/First Nations8% Southeast Asian6% Latin/South/Central American3% African2% Australian/Pacific Islander2% West Asian1% Other (excluding Canadian)1% Don’t know8%

11. www.mcs.bc.ca Who youth live with most of the time? (Youth could mark all that apply) Mother91% Father70% Other adults related to me10% Stepfather5% Stepmother1% Other adults not related to me 2% Do not live with any adults1%

12. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

13.  84% reported good or excellent health, consistent with results over the past decade.  9% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability.

14. www.mcs.bc.ca  15% of females and 10% of males did not get medical help when they felt they needed it.

15. www.mcs.bc.ca  27% of students were injured seriously enough in the past year to need medical attention.

16. www.mcs.bc.ca Injury Prevention  64% of youth always wore a seatbelt.  18% of students always wore a helmet while bike riding.

17. www.mcs.bc.ca What youth ate and drank yesterday No Yes, once Yes, twice or more Water7%22%71% Milk, cheese, yogurt10%37%53% Fruit22%41%37% Green salad or vegetables 27%45%28% Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars 35%49%17% Pop/soda55%34%11% Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries 48%41%11% Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 74%19%7% Energy drinks90%7%3% At least 54% of youth fell short of the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables (above 50% provincially)

18. www.mcs.bc.ca

19.  20% of males and 11% of females were very satisfied with their body image.

20. www.mcs.bc.ca

21. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

27. Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts:  Family or friend suicide attempts (14% vs. 3%)  Sexual abuse (19% vs. 3%)  Physical abuse (14% vs. 2%)

28. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

29.  80% of youth never had sexual intercourse  Most common reasons for not having sex:  Not ready for sex (50%)  Waiting to meet the right person (47%)  Among those who had sex:  Most commonly started at age 15  17% first had sex before age 14

30. www.mcs.bc.ca

31. Birth control method used last time youth had sex:  Condoms: 63%  Birth control pills: 45%  Only withdrawal: 8%  Emergency contraception: 5% 6% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy

32. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

34. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

36. † Indicates that the difference between Fraser East/Fraser South and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

37. www.mcs.bc.ca 2008 Prescription pills16% Any Hallucinogens8% Mushrooms6% † Cocaine4% Inhalants4% Any Amphetamines2% Steroids2% Heroin1% Injected an illegal drug1% † Indicates that the difference between Fraser South/Fraser East and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

38. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

40. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

41.  65% of students liked school “somewhat”  Females more likely than males to like school “very much” (23% vs. 18%)  Grade 7’s showed highest school connectedness vs. later grades

42. www.mcs.bc.ca

43. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

47. Fraser South/Fraser East – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

48.  Having protective factors in their lives can promote health and reduce the negative effect of some risk behaviours.  Protective factors in AHS  School (e.g., school connectedness)  Family (e.g., family connectedness)  Community  Connected to culture/ethnic group  Youth engagement in activities  Peer prosocial attitudes about risky behaviours  Friends would disapprove of teen getting pregnant, getting drunk, beating someone up, etc.

49. www.mcs.bc.ca

51. A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

52.  84% of youth in this area reported that their health was good or excellent.  Among students who cycled, only18% always wore a bike helmet (compared to the provincial rate of 24%) and 46% never wore one (compared to the provincial rate of 35%).  Over half of youth fell short of recommended intake of fruit and vegetables

53. www.mcs.bc.ca  The percentage of students who drank before they were 9 years old was similar to the provincial rate (6%) but the percentage who waited until they were 13 or 14 years old (46%) was greater than the provincial rate of 42%.  23% of students drank alcohol on the Saturday prior to completing the survey.  The percentage of youth who had used substances other than alcohol or marijuana was similar to the province as a whole.

54. www.mcs.bc.ca  The majority of youth in this area reported never having had sexual intercourse (80%),  35% of students indicated waiting until marriage as a reason for never having sex  More students experienced racial discrimination than in the province as a whole (14% vs 12%).  A total of 38% of students worked at a paid job during the school year, which was lower than the provincial rate of 41%.

55. www.mcs.bc.ca  Students are more likely to watch three or more hours of tv a week than the province overall  Compared to the province as a whole local students are more connected to their school and culture.  Students in this area were more likely to have friends who would be upset with them if they got drunk.  Females in this area were more likely to have friends who would disapprove of them getting pregnant or using marijuana than females provincially.

56. A Picture of Health

57. www.mcs.bc.ca  14 reports at HSDA level  Additional in-depth reports (eg substance use)  Fact sheets on key topics  ‘Next Steps’ youth workshops and other resources for youth

58. www.mcs.bc.ca McCreary Centre Society 3552 East Hastings Street Vancouver V5K 2A7 mccreary@mcs.bc.ca 604 291 1996