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.  Northern Interior “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. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

10. Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European69% Aboriginal/First Nations9% East Asian10% Latin/South/Central American4% Australian/Pacific Islander2% South Asian4% African3% 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% Stepfather8% Other adults related to me6% Stepmother4% Other adults not related to me 2% Do not live with any adults1%

12. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

13.  85% reported good or excellent health, consistent with results for 2003  10% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability.

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

15. www.mcs.bc.ca  32% of students were injured seriously enough in the past year to need medical attention.

16. www.mcs.bc.ca Injury Prevention  68% of youth always wore a seatbelt.  38% 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%23%70% Milk, cheese, yogurt9%36%55% Fruit17%39%44% Green salad or vegetables 20%47%34% Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars 32%51%17% Pop/soda58%32%10% Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries 54%38%8% Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 74%19%7% Energy drinks90%7%2% At least 47% of youth fell short of the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables

18. www.mcs.bc.ca

19.  Similar to 2003, 18% of males were very satisfied with their body image, compared to only 11% of females

20. www.mcs.bc.ca

21. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

27. Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts:  Family or friend suicide attempts (16% vs. 3%)  Sexual abuse (22% vs. 4%)  Physical abuse (15% vs. 3%)

28. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

29.  77% of youth never had sexual intercourse  Most common reasons for not having sex:  Waiting to meet the right person (53%)  Not ready for sex (45%)  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: 62%  Birth control pills: 55%  Only withdrawal: 6%  Emergency contraception: 3% 6% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy

32. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

34. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

35. † Indicates that the difference between South Vancouver Island and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

36. www.mcs.bc.ca

37. Prescription pills15% Any Hallucinogens8% Mushrooms9% Cocaine3% Inhalants5% Any Amphetamines2% Steroids1% † Heroin1% † Injected an illegal drug1% † † Indicates that the rates in South Vancouver Island were statistically lower than provincial estimates.

38. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

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

40. www.mcs.bc.ca Internet Safety: Fourteen percent of students (21% females, 7% of males) had been in contact with someone on the Internet who made them feel unsafe. Eighteen percent of students were cyber-bullied (above the provincial rate of 17%) Females were more likely than males to have been cyber-bullied (25% vs. 12%). Relationship Violence: Seven percent of students reported that their boyfriend or girlfriend hit, slapped or hurt them in the past month. Discrimination: Twenty percent of students experienced discrimination as a result of their physical appearance. Nine percent of students had been discriminated against because of race or skin colour (lower than the provincial rate of 12%). Five percent of students reported they had experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation.

41. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

42.  64% of students liked school “somewhat”  Females more likely than males to like school “very much” (27% vs. 17%)  School connectedness unrelated to grade level

43. www.mcs.bc.ca

44. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

48. South Vancouver Island – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

49.  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.

50. www.mcs.bc.ca

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

53.  85% of youth in this area reported that their health was good or excellent  76% of students rode a bicycle in the past year (above the provincial rate of 71%). Among these students, 38% always wore a bike helmet (above the provincial rate of 24%).  68% always wore a seatbelt when riding in a motor vehicle (an increase from 56% in 2003)

54. www.mcs.bc.ca  32% of students were injured seriously enough to need medical attention  25% of students had ever tried smoking (local decrease from 34% in 2003.)  South Vancouver Island students who did smoketended to start doing so at a later age than in 2003.

55. www.mcs.bc.ca  Sixty percent of youth had tried more than just a few sips of alcohol (similar to the local rate in 2003, but higher than the 2008 provincial rate of 54%)  Less students tried marijuana than in 2003 (35% vs 45%).  Students in this region were slightly more likely to have had sex compared to students in the province as a whole.

56. www.mcs.bc.ca  The rate of school-based relational aggression was higher than the provincial percentage (35% vs. 31%) and reflected an increase in this area from 2003 (29%).  46% of students reported always feeling safe at school (comparable to the rate in this area in 2003 and higher than the 2008 provincial rate of 41%.)  Levels of school connectedness scores in this area were also higher than the province as a whole.

57. A Picture of Health

58. 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

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