RISKY ACTIVITY MORE PREVALENT ON MID-ISLAND

Central Island youth are doing more drugs, having more sex and are
more likely to seriously consider suicide than their peers
provincewide.

The McCreary Centre Society's Adolescent Health Survey canvassed more
than 29,000 Grades 7-12 students across B.C. in 2008.

The survey, the results of which were recently released, paints a
comprehensive picture of the physical and emotional health of B.C.
youth, including risk and protective factors.

The survey is administered every five years by public health nurses in
50 of the 60 school districts, including Nanaimo.

Central Island youth - from Nanaimo, Qualicum, Cowichan Valley and
Port Alberni school districts - reported they were more likely to
seriously consider suicide, have sex and try alcohol, marijuana or
drugs than was indicated across the province.

Mike Munro, Nanaimo school district's superintendent, said in the past
two surveys, mid-Island youth reported experimenting earlier and more,
although education officials are at a loss as to why.

"Those things are worrisome to us," he said.

In recent years, the district began working closely with outside
agencies such as the Vancouver Island Health Authority and Central
Vancouver Island Crisis Society to tackle the issues.

Survey results are used by administrators, counsellors, teachers and
the safe schools coordinator to see if existing programs are working
and to identify gaps in the support structure.

"I believe they accurately reflect the attitudes and behaviours of our
youth," said Munro. "If there are issues and difficulties facing our
kids, we need to hear about them and face up to them."

The district is working on a policy specifically dealing with
harassment of students based on their sexual orientation, thanks in
part to the results of the last McCreary survey.

The percentage of youth who seriously considered suicide in the past
year - 14 per cent on the central Island compared with 12 per cent
provincewide - reinforces the need for the work the society is doing
in schools, said Lyndsay Wells, community education program
coordinator with the Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society.

The society has a three-tiered approach to suicide prevention in
schools, training administrators, teachers, counsellors and students
in how to identify students in crisis and what to do to help.

"We believe we're on the right track with our programs," she said.
"It's been probably within the last five to eight years that we've
really made a concerted effort."

Annie Smith, McCreary Centre Society executive director, said one of
the significant findings of the 2008 survey is that youth who waited
longer to try alcohol and marijuana reported less risky behaviour like
getting in a car with a drunk driver, as well as fewer serious
injuries and suicide attempts.

"We saw that delaying the use by even a year made a big difference,"
Smith said.

When students felt connected to their families and communities, binge
drinking, suicidal thoughts and involvement in fights all dropped
dramatically.

The survey identified a lot of disturbing trends, Smith
added.

"If kids are drinking, a lot of them are drinking at risky levels,"
she said. "The most concerning rise is consumption of prescription
pills."

Nearly 20 per cent of survey participants reported taking prescription
pills not authorized by a doctor.

Smith is also concerned that communities are missing opportunities to
help youth when they want it.

"Young people who use at a young age were more likely to ask for help
but less likely to find the help helpful," she said. "We need to make
sure we're listening to young people, taking them seriously and
ensuring services are available."

The next Adolescent Health Survey will be conducted in 2013.