TAKING RISKS: SURVEY TRACKS TEEN BEHAVIOR

MANCHESTER - Fewer Manchester high school students are staying away from
school because they fear for their safety, and fewer are being threatened
with weapons, newly released federal survey results show.

But more students are fighting, bringing weapons to school and being
forced to have sex, according to the survey.

The results are from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, compiled by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every two years. State results
were released last year, and local results were posted recently by the
Makin' It Happen organization, which promotes healthy behavior among young
people.

The results were gathered in 2007 from 4,730 students in all four grades
at the city's high schools: Central, West, Memorial and the School of
Technology. Another survey will be done this spring by the CDC with the
statewide results available a year from now.

"I see a lot of great things going on with our young people: How many
don't use drugs, how many don't smoke," Makin' It Happen Executive
Director Kelley Hobbs said. "People may look at the survey and see
negatives, but I see all the positive stuff."

She said she is still shocked to see the age at which many young people
begin drinking alcohol and the number who continue to drink it.

"I shouldn't be shocked at this point, but it always stands out," Hobbs
said, "although it's not much different than other parts of the country
and on a par with the rest of the state."

Manchester Superintendent Thomas Brennan said he is encouraged by many of
the results, particularly questions about student attitudes toward
drinking, smoking and drugs.

"The students have a real good sense that this stuff is not a good thing
to do," Brennan said.

According to the survey, students believe regular use of alcohol or
marijuana is harmful, but few students consider occasional use is harmful.
About 55 percent of students believe it is wrong to drink alcohol.

Students believe strongly that the use of cocaine, LSD or other illegal
drugs is wrong as is smoking cigarettes at their age.

Brennan was encouraged that 52 percent of the students said one of their
parents or another adult in the family talked to them daily about what
they are doing in school.

"That's a tribute to the after-school programs and the organizations we
have in this city," he said.

But Brennan is very concerned about the availability of drugs and alcohol
and how easily attainable students say they are.

As a whole, he said, the survey is a good starting point to see where to
put school resources and how to work better with the city's social service
agencies who serve young people.

Overall, Manchester high school students are generally less likely to
engage in risky behaviors than their counterparts 20 years ago, but there
is little change in their behavior since the 2005 survey.

The survey indicates the city's students take no more nor no less risks
than students in the rest of the state when it comes to consensual sex,
alcohol and illegal drugs, although fewer smoke.

The number of students who have had a drink had not changed from two years
earlier -- about 70 percent -- but those who had their first drink before
the age of 13 has gone down, as has the percentage of students who had a
drink in the month before the survey was taken.

The number of students who have had sexual intercourse has increased,
going from 41.6 to 44.5 percent, as has the percentage of students who had
intercourse before they were 13 years old, going from 4.8 to 6.2 percent.
The state average is 12.6 percent.

A third of the students surveyed had sexual intercourse in the last three
months, which is consistent with two years earlier and the rest of the
state's high school students.

About one-quarter of the students use marijuana, which is unchanged from
two years earlier and from the rest of the state.

Fewer than one in 10 students have used cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines
or Ecstasy, but about one-quarter of the students say they have been
offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property in the year before
the survey.

While substance abuse may be low, more Manchester students drive after
they have consumed alcohol and are willing to ride with drivers who have
consumed alcohol than two years earlier.

Seat belt use has increased slightly and includes nearly nine of every 10
students, yet more than half of the city's students say they do not wear
helmets when riding a bike.

The survey included some dietary questions for the first time, which
Brennan said will make a good baseline for further study in light of the
obesity problems plaguing young people today.

To be added next year are questions concerning the abuse of prescription
and over-the-counter drugs, something educators and parents perceive to be
an increasing problem according to Mary Bubnis of the state Department of
Education.

"Questions on this topic over time will help schools, parents and
communities determine if this is significant and needs attention, or just
a minor trend," she said.

She noted a school should have three sets of results before they can
really see trends and a difference of 5 percent or less may not be very
significant for any one school district.

The city, state and other organizations use the results of the biennial
survey to apply for federal grants to address issues raised through the
survey.