A Picture of Health: Highlights from the 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey

1. A Picture of Health: Highlights from the 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey Northern Interior McCreary Centre Society www.mcs.bc.ca

2. McCreary Centre Society MCS is… • a non-government not-for-profit committed to improving the health of BC youth through research, education and community based projects • Founded in 1977, the Society sponsors and promotes a wide range of activities and research to identify and address the health needs of young people in the province • MCS has been committed to developing and administering the Adolescent Health Survey (AHS) every 5 years since 1992

3. Introduction to AHS • The AHS is the largest survey of its kind in Canada • Provides the most comprehensive picture of the physical and emotional health of BC youth, including risk and protective factors

4. Provincial Key Findings The number who reported a debilitating health condition or disability continued to decline, from 13% in 1998, to 9% in 2008 There was a 12% increase in the number of students who always wore a seatbelt from 2003-2008 More youth in 2008 reported eating fruit compared to a decade earlier (81% vs. 72%)

5. Provincial Key Findings • There has been a decrease in the % of youth who have considered or actually attempted suicide • Less youth are using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and mushrooms, but the use of hallucinogens has increased • Majority of students have never tried cigarettes

6. Provincial Key Findings • For the first time since 1992, the % of youth who seriously considered suicide dropped, from 16% to 12% in 2008 • ¾ of students have never tried even a puff of a cigarette, compared to 66% in 2003 • Use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and mushrooms declined over the past decade

7. Provincial Key Findings • Relationship violence has not decreased since 2003 • In 2008, there was an increase in youth who had experienced physical abuse (from 15% in 2003 to 17%) • Between 2003 and 2008, the % of youth reporting sexual abuse (8%) and both physical and sexual abuse (5%) did not improve

8. Provincial Key Findings • Most BC youth are Most BC teens are doing well, and report healthier behaviours than students 10 years ago • Building protective factors such as family, school and cultural connectedness has been shown to assist BC youth, including those most vulnerable to overcome negative experiences, make healthier choices, contribute to more positive health outcomes

9. Northern Interior Results www.mcs.bc.ca

10. Home and Family Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

11. Home and Family

12. Living Situation • Majority of students lived with their mother (87%) and/or father (64%) most of the time • 8% of students did not have a parent at home when they woke up in the morning • 4% did not have a parent at home when they went to sleep at night

13. Family Connectedness to mother figures was higher for 12 years olds than for youth aged 13-17 However connectedness to father figures was unrelated to age in this area

14. Unstable Home Life • 5% of students lived in government care at some point in their lives • 2% of youth were in care in the last year • 11 % of students ran away in the past year • 16% moved once in the past year

15. Family Poverty • 11% of youth reported that they sometimes go to bed hungry, with 2% of youth going to bed hungry often or always • Youth who indicated going to bed hungry were more likely than their peers who did not to… • report poor/fair health (38% vs. 14%) • have considered suicide in the past year (29% vs. 11%) • have attempted suicide (20% vs. 5%)

16. Northern Interior Physical Health www.mcs.bc.ca

17. Physical Health Status Consistent with province as a whole: • 83% of youth reported that their health was good or excellent • More males than females rated their health as excellent (36% vs. 20%) • 11% of youth reported a debilitating health condition

18. Physical Health

19. Northern Interior Injuries www.mcs.bc.ca

20. Injuries • In the past year, 35% of students were injured seriously enough to need medical attention • Males were more likely than females to have been seriously injured (44% vs. 34%) • 6% of students were injured in a motor vehicle • 6% of students were injured while at work

21. Location of Injuries

22. Injury Prevention Behaviour • 65% of students always wear a seatbelt when riding in a motor vehicle • 21% always wore a bike helmet and 34% never wore one • 14% of youth had driven after using alcohol or marijuana

23. Northern Interior Nutrition www.mcs.bc.ca

24. Nutrition • Less youth in this region always ate breakfast on school days compared to the provincial rate (47% vs. 53%) • Males were more likely than females to always eat breakfast on school days • 15% of youth never ate breakfast

25. Nutrition On the day before the survey… • Approx. 1 in 3 students consumed coffee or coffee-based drinks • 21% of the students reported eating one portion of fruits or vegetables • 9% of youth did not have any fruits or vegetables

26. Nutrition On the day before the survey… • Just over ½ of students had one or more of the following; pizza, hot dogs, potato chips, or french fries • 49% of the students consumed pop/soda • 18% of students consumed energy drinks

27. Northern Interior Weight and Body Image www.mcs.bc.ca

28. Students in Each Weight Category

29. Weight • Obesity is linked to health challenges at all ages • Overweight or obese youth were less likely than healthy weight youth to rate their health as excellent • Obese youth were more likely than health weight youth to have spent ≥ 3 hours on an average school day watching TV

30. Body Image • 22% of males rated themselves as very satisfied with their body image, compared to only 11% of females • 74% of males and 61% of females felt they were about the right weight

31. Eating Behaviours • Females were more likely to report trying to lose weight, while males were 7 times more likely to report trying to gain weight • Females were more likely than males to report ‘dieting’, binge eating, and vomiting on purpose after eating to lose weight in the past year

32. Mental and Emotional Health Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

33. Self Esteem • The majority of youth in this area reported high self-esteem

34. Stress

35. Feelings of Despair

36. Self Harm • At some point in their lifetime, 25% of females and 15% of males indicated cutting or injuring themselves on purpose without trying to kill themselves

37. Suicide • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 12-18 in BC • 13% of students reported seriously considering suicide in the past year, which was comparable to the provincial rate of 12% • 6% of students attempted suicide in the past year

38. Help Seeking

39. Mental Health Services

40. Smoking Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

41. Smoking

42. Substance Use Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

43. Substance Abuse

44. Substance Use

45. Sexual Behaviour Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

46. Reasons for not having Sex

47. Sexual Behaviour • 2% of students had been told by a doctor or nurse that they had a sexually transmitted infection (8% of sexually active youth) • 71% of youth reported using a condom the last time they had sex • 34% reported that they drank alcohol or used drugs before having sex the last time

48. Abuse and Violence Northern Interior www.mcs.bc.ca

49. Males & Females Who Were Ever Abused

50. Abuse & Violence • 62% of females had been verbally sexually harassed in the past year (compared to 39% of males) • 9% of students who were in a relationship reported that their boyfriend or girlfriend hit, slapped, or hurt them in the past month • 11% of students experienced racial discrimination in the past year