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

2. MCS is… a non-government not-for-profit committed to improving the health of BC youth through research, education and community based projects Founded in 1977, the Society sponsors and promotes a wide range of activities and research to identify and address the health needs of young people in the province MCS has been committed to developing and administering the Adolescent Health Survey (AHS) every 5 years since 1992

3. www.mcs.bc.ca Introduction to AHS The AHS is the largest survey of its kind in Canada Provides the most comprehensive picture of the physical and emotional health of BC youth, including risk and protective factors

4. www.mcs.bc.ca Provincial Key Findings The number who reported a debilitating health condition or disability continued to decline, from 13% in 1998, to 9% in 2008 There was a 12% increase in the number of students who always wore a seatbelt from 2003-2008 More youth in 2008 reported eating fruit compared to a decade earlier (81% vs. 72%)

5. www.mcs.bc.ca There has been a decrease in the % of youth who have considered or actually attempted suicide Less youth are using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and mushrooms, but the use of hallucinogens has increased Majority of students have never tried cigarettes

6. www.mcs.bc.ca For the first time since 1992, the % of youth who seriously considered suicide dropped, from 16% to 12% in 2008 ¾ of students have never tried even a puff of a cigarette, compared to 66% in 2003 Use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and mushrooms declined over the past decade

7. www.mcs.bc.ca Relationship violence has not decreased since 2003 In 2008, there was an increase in youth who had experienced physical abuse (from 15% in 2003 to 17%) Between 2003 and 2008, the % of youth reporting sexual abuse (8%) and both physical and sexual abuse (5%) did not improve

8. www.mcs.bc.ca Most BC youth are Most BC teens are doing well, and report healthier behaviours than students 10 years ago Building protective factors such as family, school and cultural connectedness has been shown to assist BC youth, including those most vulnerable to overcome negative experiences, make healthier choices, contribute to more positive health outcomes

9. www.mcs.bc.ca Northern Interior Results

10. Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca Home and Family

11. www.mcs.bc.ca Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European64% Aboriginal/First Nations21% Latin/South/Central American4% East Asian3% South Asian3% West Asian1% Southeast Asian1% African1% Australian /Pacific Islander1% Don’t Know18%

12. www.mcs.bc.ca Majority of students lived with their mother (87%) and/or father (64%) most of the time 8% of students did not have a parent at home when they woke up in the morning 4% did not have a parent at home when they went to sleep at night

13. www.mcs.bc.ca Family Connectedness to mother figures was higher for 12 years olds than for youth aged 13-17 However connectedness to father figures was unrelated to age in this area

14. www.mcs.bc.ca 5% of students lived in government care at some point in their lives 2% of youth were in care in the last year 11 % of students ran away in the past year 16% moved once in the past year

15. www.mcs.bc.ca 11% of youth reported that they sometimes go to bed hungry, with 2% of youth going to bed hungry often or always Youth who indicated going to bed hungry were more likely than their peers who did not to… report poor/fair health (38% vs. 14%) have considered suicide in the past year (29% vs. 11%) have attempted suicide (20% vs. 5%)

16. Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca Physical Health

17. www.mcs.bc.ca Consistent with province as a whole: 83% of youth reported that their health was good or excellent More males than females rated their health as excellent (36% vs. 20%) 11% of youth reported a debilitating health condition

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19. Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca Injuries

20. In the past year, 35% of students were injured seriously enough to need medical attention Males were more likely than females to have been seriously injured (44% vs. 34%) 6% of students were injured in a motor vehicle 6% of students were injured while at work

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22. 65% of students always wear a seatbelt when riding in a motor vehicle 21% always wore a bike helmet and 34% never wore one 14% of youth had driven after using alcohol or marijuana

23. Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca Nutrition

24. Less youth in this region always ate breakfast on school days compared to the provincial rate (47% vs. 53%) Males were more likely than females to always eat breakfast on school days 15% of youth never ate breakfast

25. www.mcs.bc.ca On the day before the survey… Approx. 1 in 3 students consumed coffee or coffee-based drinks 21% of the students reported eating one portion of fruits or vegetables 9% of youth did not have any fruits or vegetables

26. www.mcs.bc.ca On the day before the survey… Just over ½ of students had one or more of the following; pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, or french fries 49% of the students consumed pop/soda 18% of students consumed energy drinks

27. Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca Weight and Body Image

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29. Obesity is linked to health challenges at all ages Overweight or obese youth were less likely than healthy weight youth to rate their health as excellent Obese youth were more likely than health weight youth to have spent ≥ 3 hours on an average school day watching TV

30. www.mcs.bc.ca 22% of males rated themselves as very satisfied with their body image, compared to only 11% of females 74% of males and 61% of females felt they were about the right weight

31. www.mcs.bc.ca Females were more likely to report trying to lose weight, while males were 7 times more likely to report trying to gain weight Females were more likely than males to report ‘dieting’, binge eating, and vomiting on purpose after eating to lose weight in the past year

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33. The majority of youth in this area reported high self-esteem

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36. At some point in their lifetime, 25% of females and 15% of males indicated cutting or injuring themselves on purpose without trying to kill themselves

37. www.mcs.bc.ca Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 12-18 in BC 13% of students reported seriously considering suicide in the past year, which was comparable to the provincial rate of 12% 6% of students attempted suicide in the past year

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47. 2% of students had been told by a doctor or nurse that they had a sexually transmitted infection (8% of sexually active youth) 71% of youth reported using a condom the last time they had sex 34% reported that they drank alcohol or used drugs before having sex the last time

48. Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

50. 62% of females had been verbally sexually harassed in the past year (compared to 39% of males) 9% of students who were in a relationship reported that their boyfriend or girlfriend hit, slapped, or hurt them in the past month 11% of students experienced racial discrimination in the past year

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54. Almost 4/10 students reported always feeling safe at school Students who carried a weapon to school felt less safe at school compared to those who did not carry a weapon

55. www.mcs.bc.ca 42% of students worked at a paid job during the school year, which was comparable to the provincial rate of 41% Among students who worked at a paid job… the majority worked between 5 and 19 hours a week (52%) 24% worked ≥20 hours a week 24% worked ≤5 hours a week

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61. On average, students indicated relatively high connectedness to family and school 36% of youth were involved in activities that were very meaningful to them

62. www.mcs.bc.ca Compared to the province, local youth were less likely to think that their friends would be upset with them if they: got arrested (61% vs. 66%) beat someone up (41% vs. 54%) carried a weapon for protection (44% vs. 52%) got drunk (27% vs. 35%)

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65. Key Findings 83% of local youth reported their health as good or excellent In the past year, 35% of students in this area were injured seriously enough to need medical attention

66. www.mcs.bc.ca Key Findings Students in this area were more likely than those across the province to take part in non- coached sporting activities and to ride a bike Compared to the province as a whole, both males and females in this area were more likely to be overweight, and less likely to be underweight

67. www.mcs.bc.ca Key Findings The % of youth who had ever tried alcohol was higher than the provincial rate (65% vs. 54%) 35% of students had ever tried smoking cigarettes, and 39% had tried marijuana.

68. www.mcs.bc.ca The majority of youth reported never having had sexual intercourse The presence of protective factors for youth in the Northern Interior was generally associated with lower rates of poor/fair health, binge drinking, suicidal ideation and fight involvement

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70. 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

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