Pubdate: Fri, 14 Jan 2011
Source: Creston Valley Advance (CN BC)
Copyright: 2011 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/Kn5Ndn9Z
Website: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/crestonvalleyadvance/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1413
Author: Brian Lawrence
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

CRESTON VALLEY YOUTH LEARN FROM HEALTH STUDY

Creston's youth have a strong awareness of what's going on around 
them, which will be demonstrated when 16 one-minute films are shown 
on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Prince Charles Theatre.

While discussing the results of the 2008 McCreary Centre Society's 
Adolescent Health Survey in November, 100 Creston Valley Grade 7 
students were divided into groups that created artwork to make a short film.

Creston public health nurse Claire Bouchard joined a group that 
discussed, with great insight, the easy accessibility of drugs.

"I was impressed because it wasn't just, 'Drugs are bad,' " she said. 
"They have the understanding that if you want something in Creston, 
you can get it."

With the help of Vancouver-based Reel Youth, each group made a film 
illustrating the effects of a variety of behaviours.

Bouchard's group used a dinosaur theme to illustrate how drug use can 
get out of control. When the dinosaur pulled on a vine, a volcano erupted.

Another group's video dealt with violence and used balloons, one with 
a pleasant face, and others with angry faces and tacks on their 
tails. After the mob attacked and popped the other balloon, they, 
too, began to deflate.

The Vancouver-based McCreary Centre Society, which focuses on the 
health and well-being of youth, distributes its 20-page survey to 
students in grades 7-12 every four years in co-operation with schools 
and public health nurses. The survey covers everything from living 
arrangements, high-risk behaviours and eating habits to bullying, 
suicide and peer relations.

Once the results are compiled, the Next Steps program brings the 
survey results to the kids.

"They help the kids to understand, and then they help them do 
something about it," said Bouchard.

The survey showed some results that surprised Bouchard, such as that 
one out of 10 children in the East Kootenay go to bed hungry, and 
that only 32 per cent of local youth have had sexual intercourse by 
the end of high school.

Other results that stood out were:

Similar to 2003, 69 per cent of Kootenay youth had tried more than 
just a few sips of alcohol, higher than the provincial rate of 54 per 
cent. Forty percent of students had tried marijuana, a local decrease 
from 50 per cent in 2003, but higher than the provincial rate of 30 
per cent. Six per cent drove after using marijuana, and seven per 
cent drove after drinking alcohol.

The percentage of Kootenay youth who had used substances other than 
alcohol or marijuana was similar to the province as a whole. However, 
Kootenay students were more likely to have tried mushrooms (13 per 
cent vs. eight), hallucinogens (eight vs. five) and inhalants (seven 
vs. four). Eight percent of students in this area had used ecstasy, 
and one per cent had used crystal meth; both percentages were 
comparable to the provincial rate.

Unchanged from 2003, 22 per cent percent reported that they had been 
physically abused, and 11 per cent had been sexually abused.

Although still above the provincial rate of 26 per cent, there was a 
decrease in the percentage of Kootenay youth who had ever tried 
smoking, from 49 per cent in 2003 to 38 per cent in 2008.

Most youth lived with a one or two parents, six per cent had no 
parent home when they woke up and three per cent had no parent home 
when they went to bed. Three per cent lived with unrelated adults and 
one per cent lived with no adult.

Seventeen per cent of students reported having been bullied at least 
once, with seven per cent experiencing it more than once. Those who 
experienced cyber-bullying were far more likely to experience extreme 
sadness or hopelessness, and twenty-four per cent had serious 
thoughts of suicide. However, being connected to family or school, 
having input into their extracurricular activities and being involved 
in activities that were meaningful to them were associated with a 
lower risk of suicidal thoughts.

Fifty-five per cent of healthy weight girls were trying to lose 
weight, and 10 per cent of healthy weight boys were trying to gain weight.

Bouchard is pleased by the way students responded to the results, and 
hopes the knowledge will stick with them as they go through high school.

"If young people are told to do something, it's useless," said 
Bouchard. "When they understand an issue for themselves, they own it 
and they want to do something. That's when change happens."

The full Adolescent Health Survey results can be found at www.mcs.bc.ca .
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom