Healthy Survey Results out for Seattle Schools Students

Here are the toplines.  The district is to have a press conference on Thursday that I hope to attend and the survey with all results will be released then (bold mine).
Among the survey results:
· 26 percent of seniors reported recently riding in a vehicle driven by someone who had been using marijuana, and over half of 12th graders reported recently riding in a vehicle driven by someone who was texting/emailing.

· Electronic smoking device use among middle and high school students rose dramatically. 15 percent of sophomores report using an e-cigarette or vape pen in the past 30 days, compared to 4 percent in 2012.

· Rates of sexual intercourse have dropped annually since 2010. In 2014, six percent of eighth grade students report they had sexual intercourse, a 16 percent decrease since 2010.

· Fruit and vegetable consumption decreased significantly at all grade levels surveyed. Eighth grade rates of eating fruits or vegetables five or more times per day, fell from 32 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2014, while high school rates had similar 6-7 percent reductions.
That vaping issue is becoming more problematic.  I definitely think more education for teens on the health issues is a good idea. 

Results of a recent state survey among Seattle Public Schools middle and high school students provides a diverse snapshot of their overall health. Some examples of what the survey examines, include: drug use, sexual behavior, how often they eat healthy foods, the amount of television watched and more.

The state-funded Healthy Youth Survey is taken every two years by students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 with a focus on attitudes and health risk behaviors. Topics include: gangs, physical activity, suicide, sexual activity, bullying and drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.

The survey is voluntary and anonymous, and was conducted at SPS high schools and middle schools in October 2014. Parents are notified about the survey and given the option to withdraw their student from participation.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I wonder how many of the texting/emailing drivers are the parent of the teen? I see a lot of adults texting/checking email with their kids in the car.

-Eastlaker
Carol Landis said…
It is unfortunate that the health survey does not ask about how much sleep middle and high school students are getting on school nights! National surveys continue to show that most students obtain the 8 to 10 hours each night that is recommended. Check out this URL at the National Sleep Foundation for more information on the amount sleep humans need across the lifespan;http://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/STREPchanges_1.png
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the heads up, Melissa. I'm looking forward to seeing the full results.

FYI, it looks like the math on bullet point 4 re: fruit and vegetable consumption is incorrect. A change from 32% to 26% indicates a decrease of more like 19%, not 6-7%. (Six percentage points, yes.)

HIMSmom

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