McCreary Centre Society www.mcs.bc.ca

   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 www.mcs.bc.ca

www.mcs.bc.ca

A Picture of Health

 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 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 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 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 www.mcs.bc.ca

Most BC teens are doing well, and report healthier behaviours than students 10 years ago

www.mcs.bc.ca

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

Ethnic or Cultural background (Youth could mark all that apply) European Aboriginal/First Nations East Asian Latin/South/Central American Australian/Pacific Islander South Asian African Other (excluding Canadian) Don’t know www.mcs.bc.ca

69% 9% 10% 4% 2% 4% 3% 1% 8%

Who youth live with most of the time?

(Youth could mark all that apply) Mother Father Stepfather Other adults related to me Stepmother Other adults not related to me Do not live with any adults 91% 70% 8% 6% 4% 2% 1% www.mcs.bc.ca

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

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

2% 3% Poor Self-reported health status 57% Males 45% Females 42% 11% 14% Fair 26% Good Excellent www.mcs.bc.ca

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

Some reasons for not accessing medical care in the past year (among youth who felt they needed it) Thought or hoped problem would go away Afraid of what doctor would say or do Didn't want parents to know 22% Parent/guardian couldn't take me Didn't know where to go Had no transportation 20% 17% 10% 9% Couldn't go when it was open Didn't think could afford it Afraid someone might see me 7% 6% 6% 63% www.mcs.bc.ca

 32% of students were injured seriously enough in the past year to need medical attention. Location of injuries At a sports facility or field At school At home/in yard In the street or roadway In a park or recreational area At workplace On a farm or ranch Somewhere else 3% 2% 6% 5% 19% 15% 11% 40% www.mcs.bc.ca

Injury Prevention   68% of youth always wore a seatbelt.

38% of students always wore a helmet while bike riding.

Helmet use among youth who cycled in the past year 38% 20% Never 12% 10% 20% Rarely Sometimes Most of the time Always www.mcs.bc.ca

What youth ate and drank yesterday Water Milk, cheese, yogurt Fruit Green salad or vegetables Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate bars Pop/soda Pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, French fries Hot or cold coffee or coffee-based drinks Energy drinks No 7% 9% 17% 20% 32% 58% 54% 74% 90% Yes, once 23% 36% 39% Yes, twice or more 70% 55% 44% 47% 51% 32% 38% • At least 47% of youth fell short of the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables 8% 19% 7% 7% 2% www.mcs.bc.ca

Students in each weight category 83% 77% Males Females 16% 11% 4% 5% Underweight Healthy weight Overweight 3% 2% Obese www.mcs.bc.ca

 Similar to 2003, 18% of males were very satisfied with their body image, compared to only 11% of females 11% Healthy weight youth trying to lose or gain weight 48% Males 30% Females Lose weight 4% Gain weight www.mcs.bc.ca

14% 43% Dieted to lose weight in past year www.mcs.bc.ca

Eating behaviours 36% 16% Binge eat 2% 8% Vomit on purpose after eating Males Females

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

86% Some self-esteem items 92% 79% I usually feel good about myself I am able to do things as well as most other people I feel I have much to be proud of www.mcs.bc.ca

15% During the past 30 days, have you felt you were under any strain, stress or pressure?

29% 21% 21% 14% Not at all A little / about usual Some / more than usual Quite a bit of pressure Almost more than I could take www.mcs.bc.ca

54% During the past 30 days, have you felt so sad, discouraged, hopeless or had so many problems that you wondered if anything was worthwhile?

Not at all www.mcs.bc.ca

21% A little 11% 9% 5% Some, enough to bother me Quite a bit Extremely so, to the point I couldn't do my work or deal with things

Most common reasons for not accessing mental health services (among youth who felt they needed them) Thought/hoped the problem would go away Didn't want parents to know Didn't know where to go Afraid of what Dr. would say/do Afraid someone I know might see me I didn't think I could afford it Parent/guardian would not take me Had no transportation 9% 5% 8% 28% 25% 24% 45% 57% www.mcs.bc.ca

Intentional self harm among youth who had been abused and not abused 43% 37% Abused Not abused 15% 17% Physically abused www.mcs.bc.ca

Sexually abused

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

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

 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 www.mcs.bc.ca

60% 40% 20% 9% 0% 13 years old www.mcs.bc.ca

Students who had oral sex 52% 39% 27% 14% 14 15 16 17 54% 18 years old

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 www.mcs.bc.ca

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

Age when first smoked a whole cigarette (among students who had tried smoking) 38% 35% 37% 24% 15% 17% 7% 3% 11% 6% Less than 9 9-10 11-12 13-14 2003 2008 3% 5% 15-16 17 or older www.mcs.bc.ca

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

34% 29% Students who ever drank alcohol (other than a few sips) 80% 78% 68% 58% South Vancouver Island BC 13-year-olds www.mcs.bc.ca

15-year-olds† 17-year-olds † Indicates that the difference between South Vancouver Island and provincial estimates was statistically significant.

Rates of different types of alcohol consumed last Saturday South Vancouver Island 19% 19% BC 16% 15% 13% 13% 5% 4% Beer www.mcs.bc.ca

Wine Liquor Coolers

Prescription pills Any Hallucinogens Mushrooms Cocaine Inhalants Any Amphetamines Steroids Heroin Injected an illegal drug www.mcs.bc.ca

15% 8% 9% 3% 5% 2% 1% 1% 1% † † † † Indicates that the rates in South Vancouver Island were statistically lower than provincial estimates.

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

Males and females who were ever abused 16% 20% Males Females 13% 7% 3% 2% Physically abused Sexually abused Both physically and sexually abused Note: The gender difference was not statistically significant for physical abuse.

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.

www.mcs.bc.ca

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

  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 Skipped full days of school in the past month 46% 38% 34% 27% 18% 13% Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 www.mcs.bc.ca

Students who always /usually felt safe at school Library Classroom Cafeteria Hallways Washrooms Outside on school grounds 75% 70% 68% 63% 88% 86% www.mcs.bc.ca

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

Exercise in past week 26% 14% 7% 9% Exercised every day www.mcs.bc.ca

Did not exercise at all Males Females

Weekly participation in activities in the past year Sports/physical activity without coach Sports/physical activity with coach Hobby/craft Art/drama/music Males Females Volunteering Group/club Dance/aerobics 11% 14% 8% 20% 33% 20% 28% 36% 64% 64% 60% 54% 61% 81% www.mcs.bc.ca

39% 33% Gambling in the past year 27% 29% 16% 7% Played games for money Bought lottery tickets Bet money at casino, track, video gambling, online 2003 2008 www.mcs.bc.ca

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

  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.

www.mcs.bc.ca

34% Health by family connectedness 44% 38% Low connectedness High connectedness 15% 15% 4% Poor/fair health Binge drinking Fight involvement www.mcs.bc.ca

31% Health by level of activity input 28% No input A lot of input 9% 10% Poor/fair health www.mcs.bc.ca

Considered suicide

www.mcs.bc.ca

A Picture of Health

 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) 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.

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.

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.

www.mcs.bc.ca

A Picture of Health

 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 www.mcs.bc.ca

www.mcs.bc.ca

McCreary Centre Society 3552 East Hastings Street Vancouver V5K 2A7 [email protected]

604 291 1996