SURVEY SHOWS RISKY STUDENT BEHAVIOR HAS DECLINED

Editor's Note: This The Second In A Continuing Series That Will Address The
Issue Of Juvenile Drug And Chemical Use In Chisago County.

Editor's Note: This is another segment in a continuing series that will
address the issue of juvenile drug and chemical use in Chisago County.

Most of the students in Chisago County do not drink alcohol, use tobacco or
use illegal drugs. That is the case if they all are telling the truth on
the Minnesota Student Survey.

Every three years, the Department of Education surveys 6th, 9th and 12th
grade students all over the state about issues like family structure, their
feelings about school, any drug or alcohol use and their self-esteem.

The survey is a tool used by educators to examine the trends in student
behaviors - both good and bad - and see where prevention efforts are
effective or new ones are needed.

Giving the survey every three years, starting in 6th grade, gives the state
the chance to ask basically the same students survey questions as their
attitudes about school, drugs and family may change over time.

A sixth-grader may respond differently to the same question asked when he
or she is in 9th or 12th grades.

Survey results can help hone education and prevention measures to ensure
that they are targeting the right students when they are needed.

According to the survey, in 2001, many unhealthy and risky actions by
students had decreased during the three years since the survey was last
given in 1998. Responses from all over the state showed:

. lower rates of current smoking and annual alcohol use among 6th, 9th and
12th graders;

. lower rates of annual marijuana use and physical fights among 6th and 9th
graders, and stable rates for both these behaviors among 12th graders; and

. lower rates of ever having sexual intercourse among 9th and 12th graders.

Chisago County students mostly live with both biological parents, at about
55 percent across the county. The second greatest percent of students,
about 14 percent live only with their mothers and about 10 percent split
time between their mothers and fathers.

However, most students said they could talk to their parents if they were
having problems.

Students in Chisago County spent most of their time hanging out with
friends and watching television or movies.

Less than a quarter of students interviewed participated in
extra-curricular activities, played sports or volunteered their time.

During the Community Connections Forum earlier in March, local psychologist
Carol Geisler told parents that the time students spend alone or with their
peers after school unsupervised is the time they are most likely to be
tempted by alcohol, tobacco, drugs and sex.

Regarding actual usage for county students, nearly 1 in 4 senior males and
one in six 9th graders admitted to binge drinking during the previous year.
Binge drinking is categorized by drinking five or more alcoholic beverages
at a time.

There was no real middle ground on alcohol consumption shown in the survey.
As for the questions about how much senior students drink at one time, the
responses were split between not drinking at all - about 30 percent - or
drinking six or more servings of alcohol at once - 22 percent.

While only about 12 percent of senior males and five percent of girls
admitted to drinking more than 40 times during the previous year, 30
percent of senior girls and boys said they had drank three to five times
during the month prior to the survey.

Thirty-six percent of senior males and 30 percent of senior females used
both alcohol and other drugs on at least one occasion during the previous
year. Sixteen percent of senior boys and 12 percent of senior girls said
they had drank and drove three or more times in the previous year.

Nearly half of Chisago County seniors used tobacco at some time during the
previous year and nearly 30 percent of them used tobacco daily.

On the other hand, more than 60 percent of students surveyed said that they
had not smoked in the previous year and that they would not in the coming year.

For those students that did smoke in the 30 days prior to the survey, most
got their hands on cigarettes from buying them at gas stations or
convenience stores or from their friends.

One striking addition to the finding was that for the students who bought
tobacco, 90 percent of them did not use fake identification.

One in three seniors and one in five 9th graders said they had used
marijuana in the year leading up to the survey.

Six percent of senior boys and three percent of senior girls said they had
used methamphetamines at least once during the previous year.

While the incidence of drug and alcohol use among students in Chisago
County and across the state had steadily declined over the past decade,
state officials still encourage increased education and prevention efforts
for students to continue and improve the trend.

Groups like Youth Service Bureau and Community Partnership with Youth and
Families push to keep the topic of drugs and alcohol in the forefront for
teachers, parents and students.

Parents and teachers also are encouraged to seek information and assistance
if they feel uneducated about drugs and alcohol use by calling school
resource officers, counselors, ministers and community groups that can help.