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.  Kootenay Boundary “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  At least half of youth 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. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

10. Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European74% Aboriginal/First Nations13% East Asian3% Latin/South/Central American3% Australian/Pacific Islander2% South Asian1% African1% Other (excluding Canadian)2% Don’t know17%

11. www.mcs.bc.ca Who youth live with most of the time? (Youth could mark all that apply) Mother87% Father67% Stepfather8% Other adults related to me5% Stepmother3% Other adults not related to me 2% Do not live with any adults2%

12. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

13.  86% reported good or excellent health, consistent with results over the past decade.  10% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability.

14. www.mcs.bc.ca  18% of females and 12% of males did not get medical help when they felt they needed it.

15. www.mcs.bc.ca  34% of students were injured seriously enough in the past year to need medical attention.

16. www.mcs.bc.ca Injury Prevention  66% of youth always wore a seatbelt.  19% 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 Water5%19%76% Milk, cheese, yogurt9%34%56% Fruit17%38%45% Green salad or vegetables 19%48%34% Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars 36%48%16% Pop/soda62%29%9% Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries 58%34%8% Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 74%19%8% Energy drinks86%10%4% At least 47% of youth fell short of the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables

18. www.mcs.bc.ca

19.  15% of youth were very satisfied with their body image.

20. www.mcs.bc.ca

21. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

27. Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts:  Family or friend suicide attempts (19% vs. 3%)  Sexual abuse (20% vs. 4%)  Physical abuse (15% vs. 3%)

28. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

29.  69% of youth never had sexual intercourse (lower than provincial rate: 78%)  Most common reasons for not having sex:  Waiting to meet the right person (50%)  Not ready for sex (44%)  Among those who had sex:  Most commonly started at age 15  21% first had sex before age 14

30. www.mcs.bc.ca

31. Birth control method used last time youth had sex:  Condoms: 66%  Birth control pills: 48%  Only withdrawal: 4%  Emergency contraception: 5% 5% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy

32. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

33. * Indicates that the difference between 2003 and 2008 Kootenay Boundary estimates was statistically significant

34. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

35. † Indicates that the difference between 2008 HSDA and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

36. www.mcs.bc.ca † Indicates that the difference between Kootenay Boundary and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

37. www.mcs.bc.ca 20032008 Prescription pills9%17% ♦ Any Hallucinogens11%12% † Mushrooms23%18% † Cocaine4%5% Inhalants5% Any Amphetamines5%4% Steroids1%2% Heroin1%2% Injected an illegal drug1%2% † Difference between 2008 Kootenay Boundary and provincial estimates was statistically significant. ♦ Kootenay Boundary difference between 2003 and 2008 estimates was statistically significant.

38. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

39. Note: The gender difference was not statistically significant for physical abuse.

40. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

41.  64% of students liked school “somewhat”  Females more likely than males to like school “very much” (22% vs. 13%)  Grade 7’s showed highest school connectedness vs. later grades

42. www.mcs.bc.ca

43. Kootenay Boundary – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

47. Kootenay Boundary – 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.  86% of youth in this area reported that their health was good or excellent.  Bike helmet use was lower among local cyclists than across the province (19% vs. 24%).  66% of students always wear a seatbelt, an increase from 2003 (55%).

53. www.mcs.bc.ca  34% of students were injured in the past year, a decrease from 42% in 2003  Students are more likely to exercise every day in this region than across the province as a whole  The percentage of youth who had considered suicide in the past year decreased since 2003.

54. www.mcs.bc.ca  71% of students have tried alcohol, over half of these have binge drank in the past month  Unlike the provincial trend, there has not been a decrease in the percentage of students who have tried cigarettes.  Youth in this region were more likely to have had sexual intercourse and oral sex than youth across the province

55. www.mcs.bc.ca  More students reported always feeling safe in school than across the province overall and in this region in 2003.  Fewer students report watching TV for three or more hours a day than in 2003.  Protective factors can reduce the likelihood of experiencing negative outcomes for even the most vulnerable youth.

56. A Picture of Health

57. www.mcs.bc.ca  14 regional reports at HSDA level  Additional in-depth topic reports (e.g., substance use)  Fact sheets on key topics  ‘Next Steps’ 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