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Okanagan Cover Images Courtesy of Picture BC McCreary Centre Society Results of the 2013 BC Adolescent Health Survey Okanagan Cover images courtesy of Picture BC, www.picturebc.ca. Okanagan RESULTS OF THE 2013 BC ADOLESCENT HEALTH SURVEY Copyright: McCreary Centre Society, 2014 McCreary Centre Society is a non-government ISBN: 978-1-926675-32-9 not-for-profit committed to improving the health of BC youth through research and community-based McCreary Centre Society projects. Founded in 1977, the Society sponsors and 3552 East Hastings Street promotes a wide range of activities and research Vancouver, BC V5K 2A7 to identify and address the health needs of young people in the province. Copies of this report are available at www.mcs.bc.ca For enquiries, please email [email protected] Youth health • Youth research • Youth engagement Follow us on Twitter @mccrearycentre McCreary team Annie Smith Executive Director Elizabeth Saewyc Research Director Duncan Stewart BC AHS Coordinator/Research Associate Maya Peled Research Associate Colleen Poon Research Associate Stephanie Martin Community & Communications Manager/Graphic Design Kate Kovaleva Research Assistant Preeti Prasad Research Assistant Brynn Warren Research Assistant Ange Cullen Research Assistant Annalise Zwack Administrative Assistant Acknowledgements Statistical weighting and expertise provided by Rita Green. This study was approved by the Behavioural Research Ethics Board, University of British Funding for the 2013 BC Adolescent Health Survey Columbia, #H12-02630. was provided by BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, BC Ministry of Health, and BC Office of the Representative for Children and Youth. Sincere thanks are due to all the students who participated CIT ATION in the 2013 BC Adolescent Health Survey. We are also indebted to the following Okanagan Peled, M., Stewart, D., Poon, C., Kovaleva, coordinators and survey administrators: K., Cullen, A., Smith, A., & McCreary Centre Society (2014). Okanagan: Results of the 2013 Jane Luk-Tran Jodie Stevens BC Adolescent Health Survey. Vancouver, BC: Tanya Chmilar Laura Craig McCreary Centre Society. Aileen Jack Linda Partington Brittany Morrison Madeleine Greig Courtney McLeod Savannah Moody Deanna Sheepwash Shelley Bolingbroke Heather Wood Sydney Berger Jenn Jabs Table of contents Key findings ........................................................................................................................4 Introduction .........................................................................................................................6 Youth in the Okanagan .......................................................................................................8 Physical health .................................................................................................................13 Sleep ................................................................................................................................15 Mental health ....................................................................................................................16 Injuries & injury prevention ...............................................................................................20 Nutrition ............................................................................................................................22 Body weight & body image ...............................................................................................26 Sexual behaviour ..............................................................................................................28 Tobacco use .....................................................................................................................31 Alcohol, marijuana, & other drug use ...............................................................................32 School...............................................................................................................................36 Bullying & discrimination...................................................................................................39 Physical abuse, sexual abuse, & sexual harassment.......................................................42 Employment......................................................................................................................43 Physical activity, sports, & leisure .....................................................................................44 Technology use.................................................................................................................47 Youth engagement ..........................................................................................................49 Family relationships ..........................................................................................................50 Supportive & caring adults outside the family...................................................................52 Help seeking ....................................................................................................................53 Peer relationships .............................................................................................................54 Neighbourhood safety .....................................................................................................56 Community connectedness & cultural engagement .........................................................57 Summary list of protective factors ....................................................................................58 How to use these results ..................................................................................................60 Key findings Findings from the 2013 BC Adolescent • Overall, 9% of students (6% of males vs. Health Survey showed that most youth in 12% of females) did not get medical help the Okanagan reported good physical and when they thought they needed it, and 12% mental health; felt connected to their family, of youth (5% of males vs. 19% of females) school and community; had positive plans did not access needed mental health ser- for the future; and were engaging in health vices. Common reasons for students miss- promoting behaviours which will assist them ing out on needed services included not to transition successfully to adulthood. wanting their parents to know and thinking or hoping the problem would go away. However, the survey findings also highlight- ed some differences between this region • Most youth rated their mental health as and the province as a whole, as well as good or excellent, but they were less likely identified some groups of students who may to rate their mental health this way than their need additional support. Youth in this area overall health. Males generally reported reported higher rates of certain health risk better mental health than females, including behaviours than seen provincially, but there higher rates of self-confidence and lower were local improvements from previous rates of extreme stress, despair, self-harm, years. Protective factors were also found and suicide attempts. that appear to be linked to better outcomes. • Local females were more likely than females • In the past year, 29% of students were across the province to have thought about injured seriously enough to require medi- suicide (21% vs 17%) and to have attempted cal attention, which was a decrease from suicide (12% vs. 9%) in the past year. 33% in 2008 and 41% in 2003. Also, 20% of students had experienced a concussion • Fifty-six percent of students (60% of males during this time period. Mirroring what was vs. 53% of females) slept for eight or more seen provincially, almost one in five (19%) hours the night before taking the survey. of those who had experienced a concussion Seventy-eight percent of males and 84% of had not accessed needed medical help. females were doing something such as be- ing online or on their phone after they were supposed to be asleep. 4 Okanagan • Local youth were more likely than students • Similar to youth across the province, 94% of throughout the province to have smoked to- local students reported eating fruit or veg- bacco or consumed alcohol. However, fewer etables at least once on the day before tak- students were trying these substances than ing the survey, which was an increase from in previous survey years, and those who did 92% in 2008. Youth who had three or more were waiting longer to do so. For example, servings of fruit or vegetables were more among local youth who had tried alcohol, likely than those who ate fewer servings to 69% had their first drink before turning 15 report good or excellent mental health. years old, which was a decrease from 74% in 2008. • Protective factors which appeared to im- prove outcomes for even the most vulner- • The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines able youth included physical activity, mean- recommend that youth aged 12 to 17 do an ingful engagement in activities, nutrition, hour of moderate to vigorous physical activ- and getting eight or more hours of sleep. ity every day. Locally, 17% of students in this Local results also highlighted the impor- age group (23% of males vs. 11% of fe- tance of supportive relationships with peers males) met these guidelines, which mirrored and adults, including family, teachers, and the provincial picture. However, Okanagan other professionals. youth were more likely than those through- out the province to have taken part in infor- mal sports on a weekly basis (such as road hockey, hiking, and
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