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.  HSDA 11 “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  Nearly half 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. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

10. Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European63% East Asian16% Aboriginal/First Nations 6% South Asian 3% Southeast Asian 3% Latin/South/Central American 4% African3% West Asian6% Australian/Pacific Islander3% Other (excluding Canadian)2% Don’t know8%

11. www.mcs.bc.ca Who youth live with most of the time? (Youth could mark all that apply) Mother91% Father69% Other adults related to me5% Stepfather5% Stepmother3% Other adults not related to me 3% Do not live with any adults1%

12. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

13.  65% of students liked school “somewhat”  Females more likely than males to like school “very much” (24% vs. 18%)  Grade 7’s showed highest school connectedness vs. Grades 9-11 the lowest

14. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

15.  88% reported good or excellent health, consistent with results over the past decade.  8% of youth reported a debilitating health condition or disability.

16. www.mcs.bc.ca  13% of students did not get medical help when they felt they needed it.  Some reasons for not seeking help  Thought or hoped problem would go away (57%)  Afraid of what doctor would say or do (18%)  Did not want parents to know (17%)

17. www.mcs.bc.ca What youth ate and drank yesterday No Yes, once Yes, twice or more Water5%20%75% Milk, cheese, yogurt9%35%55% Fruit13%39%48% Green salad or vegetables 18%47%35% Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars 34%49%17% Pop/soda64%29%8% Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries 57%34%8% Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks 75%18%7% Energy drinks92%6%2% 43% youth fell short of the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables.

18. www.mcs.bc.ca  20% of males and 12% of females were very satisfied with their body image – an increase since 2003.

19. www.mcs.bc.ca

20. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

22. Most common reasons for not accessing mental health services (among youth who felt they needed them)

23. www.mcs.bc.ca Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts:  Family or friend suicide attempts (16% vs. 2%)  Sexual abuse (22% vs. 3%)  Physical abuse (14% vs. 2%)  Aboriginal status (9% vs. 4%)  Obesity (10% vs. 4%)

24. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

25.  78% of youth never had sexual intercourse  Most common reasons for not having sex:  Waiting to meet the right person (51%)  Not ready for sex (50%)  Don’t want to get pregnant /cause a pregnancy (37%)  Among those who had sex:  Most commonly started at age 15  15% first had sex before age 14

26. www.mcs.bc.ca  Condoms: 60%  Birth control pills: 55% (same as 2003 rate; above BC rate - 46%)  Only withdrawal: 5%  Emergency contraception: 6% 4% of sexually active students have been pregnant or caused a pregnancy

27. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

29. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

31.  † Difference between 2008 HSDA and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

32. www.mcs.bc.ca 20032008 Prescription pills9%15%  Hallucinogens7%10%  Mushrooms14%8%  Cocaine5%4% Inhalants3%4% Amphetamines3% Steroids1% Heroin1% Injected an illegal drug <1%1%   Difference between 2003 and 2008 HSDA estimates was statistically significant.

33. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

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

35. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

38. North Shore/Coast Garibaldi – A Picture of Health www.mcs.bc.ca

39.  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.

40. www.mcs.bc.ca

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

44.  As in 2003, 88% of local youth reported their health as good or excellent. This was higher than the provincial rate of 84%, largely due to the higher percentage of females who reported their health as excellent  In the past year, 32% of students in this area were injured seriously enough to need medical attention.  Among students in this area who cycled in the past year, 32% always wore a bike helmet (compared to the provincial rate of 24%) and 23% never wore one (compared to the provincial rate of 35%).  Ten percent of students reported seriously considering suicide in the past year, which was lower than the provincial rate of 12%, and a decrease from 14% in this area in 2003.

45. www.mcs.bc.ca  Twenty percent of students had been exposed to second hand smoke inside their home or vehicle, compared to the provincial rate of 28%.  Among students who had tried alcohol, 5% had first done so before the age of 9 (compared to 7% provincially), and 48% waited until they were 13 or 14 years old (compared to 42% provincially).  Thirty-two percent of local students had tried marijuana. This was a decrease from 43% in 2003, and mirrored the decrease seen in the province as a whole.

46. A Picture of Health

47. www.mcs.bc.ca  Provincial and 14 regional reports and power points  Additional in-depth topic reports (e.g. substance use)  Fact sheets on key topics  ‘Next Steps’ workshops for youth and other youth resources

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