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.  East Kootenay “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. East Kootenay – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

10. Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European70% Aboriginal/First Nations15% East Asian2% Latin/South/Central American2% Australian/Pacific Islander2% South Asian1% Southeast Asian1% African1% 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 me4% Stepmother3% Other adults not related to me 3% Do not live with any adults1%

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

13.  83% reported good or excellent health, consistent with results from 2003.  12% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability.

14. www.mcs.bc.ca  16% of youth did not get medical help when they felt they needed it.

15. www.mcs.bc.ca  38% of students were injured seriously enough in the past year to need medical attention.

16. www.mcs.bc.ca Injury Prevention  61% of youth always wore a seatbelt.  22% 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 Water6%22%72% Milk, cheese, yogurt9%36%55% Fruit20%42%38% Green salad or vegetables 24%48%29% Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars 37%49%15% Pop/soda57%34%10% Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries 48%42%10% Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 72%19%9% Energy drinks83%12%5% At least 53% 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. East Kootenay – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

27. Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts:  Family or friend suicide attempts (24% vs. 4%)  Sexual abuse (24% vs. 6%)  Physical abuse (20% vs. 4%)

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

29.  68% of youth never had sexual intercourse (lower than provincial rate: 78%)  Most common reasons for not having sex:  Waiting to meet the right person (51%)  Not ready for sex (47%)  Among those who had sex:  Most commonly started at age 15  21% first had sex before age 14

30. www.mcs.bc.ca Notes: * The rate for 18-year-olds should be interpreted with caution The decrease between ages 17 and 18 is not statistically significant.

31. www.mcs.bc.ca Birth control method used last time youth had sex:  Condoms: 68%  Birth control pills: 48%  Only withdrawal: 4%  Emergency contraception: 6% 6% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy

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

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

36. † Indicates that the difference between East Kootenay and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

37. www.mcs.bc.ca 20032008 Prescription pills11%17% ♦ Any Hallucinogens8%11% Mushrooms20%13% † ♦ Cocaine8%5% Inhalants7%7% † Any Amphetamines5%3% ♦ Steroids2%1% † Difference between 2008 East Kootenay and provincial estimates was statistically significant. ♦ Easy Kootenay difference between 2003 and 2008 estimates was statistically significant.

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

39. Note: The rate of male students who have been both physically and sexually abused cannot be released due to small sample size.

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

41.  68% of students liked school “somewhat”  Males more likely than females to dislike school (22% vs. 13%)  Grade 7’s showed highest school connectedness vs. later grades Note: * The rate for Grade 12 should be interpreted with caution

42. www.mcs.bc.ca

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

47. East Kootenay – 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

50. Note: *This rate should be interpreted with caution

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

52.  83% of youth in this area reported that their health was good or excellent.  38% of students were injured seriously enough to need medical attention (29% provincially).  61% of students always wear a seatbelt, an increase from 2003 (47%).  More students are exposed to second-hand smoke inside their home or vehicle than across the province overall (41% vs. 28%).

53. www.mcs.bc.ca  There was a decrease in the rate of students who have tried smoking, but it is still above the provincial rate.  Although fewer students are trying marijuana in this area, there has been no change since 2003 in the rate of students who have tried alcohol.  There was a decrease in the percentage of students who had used amphetamines, but an increase in prescription pill use.

54. www.mcs.bc.ca  Youth in this region were more likely to have had sexual intercourse and oral sex than youth across the province  Students in this area were more likely to participate weekly in non-coached sports (75% vs. 69% provincially).  Furthermore, fewer students are watching TV three or more hours a week than in 2003 (22% vs. 37%).

55. www.mcs.bc.ca  Compared to the entire province, youth in this area reported lower levels of cultural connectedness.  Compared to 2003, youth in 2008 were more likely to think that their friends would be upset with them if they got arrested (61% vs. 47%) or used marijuana (51% vs. 43%).  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