1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. McCreary Centre Society Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Region Map

9. 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

10. 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)

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

12. Hours Spent in Front of a Screen on School Day

13. 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)

14. 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

15. 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

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

17. 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%

18. 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:

19. 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

20. Sexual Behaviour: Birth Control Used Last Time Had Sex

21. 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

22. Sexual Harassment in the Past Year

23. 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

24. 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

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

26. 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

27. Always Feel Safe at School BoysGirls

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

29. 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

30. 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%

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. School Connectedness & Risk Behaviours

35. Family Connectedness & Risk Behaviours

36. 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

37. 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:

38. Healthy Youth Development: Volunteering

39. Healthy Youth Development: Weekly Extracurricular Activities

40. Healthy Youth Development: Religiosity/Spirituality

41. McCreary Centre Society For More Information Available at www.mcs.bc.ca