TEENS EXPERIMENTING WITH SEX, ALCOHOL AT EARLIER AGE, SURVEY FINDS

Most teens may consider themselves to be healthy, but many are doing drugs,
having sex, and drinking at a much younger age than their parents may
think, according to a new survey of youth in the Wood Buffalo region.

The Northern Lights Region Teen Health Needs Assessment surveyed 3,000
teens in 22 schools in the region from grades 7 to 12, asking them 60
questions on topics ranging from nutrition and weight, to alcohol and drug use.

Pat Furey, vice-president of health services for the Northern Lights
Regional Health Authority, said on the whole the data is positive.

"The good news is over 90 per cent of teens report really good health and
over 50 per cent have good relationships with their parents or guardians,"
said Furey, who developed the original survey proposal.

However, an area of concern is the high rate of smoking in the region. The
survey reports 52 per cent of teens have tried smoking and 50 per cent
continue to smoke.

"This is not unusual in an area that also has higher rates of adult
smokers," she said.

Another concern, added Furey, is that many teens were unaware of community
services geared specifically to them.

"This is sad because the area has a wonderful safety net available, but it
is not being used because of lack of awareness."

On the issue of alcohol, teens in the area are slightly below the national
average that reports that by Grade 10 over 90 per cent of Canadian teens
have tried alcohol.

In the Wood Buffalo region almost 70 per cent of students in grades 7 to 9,
and almost 90 per cent of students in grades 10 to 12 have tried alcohol.
Of those, nearly 30 per cent report drinking between two and three times a
month.

Things don't look much better on the drug front, where almost 40 per cent
of teens surveyed admitted to using drugs, and half of them (almost 600
teens) said they were under 12 when they first tried drugs.

The drug of choice was marijuana used by 97 per cent of teens who tried
drugs, followed by hallucinogens and mood-altering drugs from cocaine, to
heroin, ecstasy, and inhalants.

"These statistics are clear indicators that kids are experimenting earlier
and earlier. These areas show room for improvement of course," Furey said
in her presentation Friday to the health authority board.

"This is big news and important because it points toward what we can work
to improving as health care providers."

Sex is another issue that speaks to experimentation in kids younger and
younger.

Forty-five per cent of seniors and almost 17 per cent of juniors reported
they had engaged in sexual intercourse. Of those, over 30 per cent (269
students) were 13 or younger when they first had sex. "This is the group we
need to be reaching out to with education services," said Furey.

Of those having sex, 60 per cent are using protection, although the
majority of those teens are seniors in high school.

Again the ones to watch out for, said Furey, are the juniors who tend to be
in "denial" that they plan to engage in the act.

"This gets them into trouble because they don't plan ahead," she said.

Feelings of sadness and hopelessness also tend to be eight per cent higher
than the national average with 30 per cent reporting these feelings for two
weeks or more during which they could not continue their usual activities.
Furey said these numbers could be attributed to the high levels of stress
in many adults in the community as well.

"There is a lot of stress in our region. We have a hard working community."
On the brighter side, more than 60 per cent of teens report that their
weight is not a concern, and the same amount are involved in sports more
than three times a week.

Also, 85 per cent plan of teens plan to pursue further education after high
school, with more than 50 per cent hoping to head to university.

The data from the anonymous questionnaires will be printed and disseminated
this fall to all teen health and wellness providers.

The issues raised by the survey, funded by Health Canada in-partnership
with the Fort McMurray Children's Centre, will be used to improve and raise
awareness of the services available to teens in the region.