YOUTH TODAY – WHO ARE WE

TEACHING?Dr Simon Denny

Adolescent Health Research Group

Auckland HPE Symposium

December 2011

Youth2000: The National Youth Health Surveys New Zealand has a poor record of

adolescent health Monitoring youth health is important to

address and understand youth health issues

Health and education often have common goals and aims

Aims of today

Present findings from the national youth health surveys

Show some recent analyses of truanting behaviours among secondary schools students

What does taking part mean for schools?

Methodology

Two stage random sample96/115 schools agreed to participate (84%)9,107/12,549 students participated (75%)

Overall response rate 63%

Methodology

What do students enjoy about school?

hanging out with friends

sports doing school work

other arts and/or music

being away from home

some other reason

Kapa-haka or cultural activities

I don't enjoy school

0

20

40

60

80

100

Pe

rce

nt

(%)

Student engagement in school

Feel part of their school

Belong to a sports team

Belongs to school clubs or teams (not

sports teams)

Spend time in activities helping others at school

Students who have been truant from school this

year

0

20

40

60

80

100

Male Female

Pe

rce

nt

(%)

Connectedness at School

13 years or less 14 years 15 years 16 years 17 years or older0

20

40

60

80

100

People at school care some or a lot (like teachers, coaches or other adults)

Usually gets along with teachers

Age

Pe

rce

nt

(%)

Source: 2007 National Youth Survey

Comparison of School Engagement Indicators 2001 to 2007

89%

43%

86%82%

91%

49%

88% 88%

2001 2007

Comparison of School Safety 2001 to 2007

7%

3%

6%

4%

2001 2007

Cyber-bullying

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20 Letters or notes

Internet

Mobile phone

Pe

rce

nt

(%)

Source: 2007 National Youth Survey

Comparison of Family Relationships 2001 to 2007

Students who feel parents care about them (a lot)

Students who get enough time with their parents (most

of the time)

Students' relationship with family – I’m happy how we

get along

93%

62%59%

90%

57%

71%

2001 2007

Comparison of Activities2001 to 2007

20 minutes or more of vig-orous activity on three or

more occasions in the last week

Watch more than 1 hour of TV a day

Use the internet for more than 1 hour a day

54% 55%

18%

64%

73%

52%

2001 2007

Comparison of Cigarette, Alcohol and Marijuana Use 2001 to 2007

Ever tried ci-garettes

Weekly or more often cigarette use

Episode of binge drinking in last 4

weeks

Ever used marijuana

Weekly or more often marijuana

use

53%

16%

40% 38%

7%

32%

8%

34%

27%

5%

2001 2007

Cigarette, Alcohol and Marijuana Use

Weekly or more often cigarette use

Episode of binge drinking in last 4 weeks

Weekly or more often marijuana use

6%

36%

6%

10%

33%

3%

Male Female

had friends or family tell you to cut down your alcohol drinking

had your performance at school or work affected by your alcohol use

had unsafe sex (no condom) after you had been drinking alcohol

had unwanted sex after you had been drinking alcohol

done things that could have got you into serious trouble (stealing, etc)

been injured after you had been drinking alcohol

been injured and required treatment by a doctor or nurse after drinking alcohol

injured someone else after you had been drinking alcohol

had a car crash after you had been drinking alcohol

16%

10%

13%

7%

24%

20%

4%

10%

3%

16%

9%

16%

7%

15%

23%

3%

6%

2%

FemaleMale

Problems from Alcohol Use

Depression Symptoms, Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempts 2001 and 2007

12%

24%

8%

11%

14%

5%

2001 2007

Proportion of students who have had sex 2001 and 2007

Male Female

32% 30%

38%35%

2001 2007

Violent behaviours during the last 12 months 2001 and 2007

Hit or physically harmed by another person one or more times in the last 12 months

Been in a serious physical fight one or more times in

the last 12 months

Carried a weapon (e.g. knife) one or more times in

the last 12 months

45%

21%

6%

41%

20%

6%

2001 2007

Source: 2001/ 2007 National Youth Surveys

Violence and harm in the last 12 months

Hit or physically harmed by another person one or more times in the last 12 months

Been in a serious physical fight one or more times in the last 12

months

Carried a weapon (e.g. knife) one or more times in the last 12

months

48%

26%

9%

33%

12%

3%

Male Female

Witnessing violence in students' homes in the last 12 months

Seen adults in your home yelling or swear-

ing at a child (other than yourself)

Seen adults in your home hitting or physic-

ally hurting a child (other than yourself)

Seen adults in your home yelling or swear-

ing at each other

Seen adults in your home hitting or phys-

ically hurting each other

46% 48%

17%10%

25%

32%38%

48%

Percentage witnessing violence once or more often in the last 12 monthsPercentage reporting violence as pretty bad, really bad or terrible

Source: Youth'07 National Youth Survey

Witnessing violence within the home and Sexual abuse 2001 and 2007

Witnessed adults at home hit-ting or physically hurting a child (other than yourself) - once or

more often in the last 12 months

Witnessed adults at home hit-ting or physically hurting each

other - once or more often in the last 12 months

Ever been touched in a sexual way or made to do sexual

things not wanted

16%

6%

18%17%

10%12%

2001 2007

Youth Health in New Zealand

Alcoho

l pro

blem

s

Smok

ing

cigar

ette

s

Viole

nce

beha

viour

s

Unsaf

e se

xual

hea

lth

Risky

mot

or v

ehicl

e us

e

Depre

ssio

n sy

mpt

oms

Suicid

e be

havio

urs

0

5

10

15

20

25

Males Females

Source: Youth’07

Social determinants of Youth Health

Alcoho

l pro

blem

s

Smok

ing

cigar

ette

s

Viole

nce

beha

viour

s

Unsaf

e se

xual

hea

lth

Risky

mot

or v

ehicl

e us

e

Depre

ssio

n sy

mpt

oms

Suicid

e be

havio

urs

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Low deprivation Medium deprivation High deprivation

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

13 14 15 16 17

Dangerous/ Reckless Driving

Binge Drinking

Drinking and Driving

Alcohol Consumption

Risky Sexual Behaviour

Age

Prevalence of youth health risk behaviours by age

Current monthly use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and other illicit drugs

Chen and Kandel 1995

Co-occurrence of these behaviours is common

Potentially Risky Behaviours

Ever drunk alcohol Ever smoked cigarette Ever used marijuana Ever had sex Been in a fight in last 12

months Thought of killing themselves

in last 12 months

84.1% reported at least one of these 6 behaviours

11.8% reported either 5 or all 6 of these health risk behaviours.

Health and Education:Truanting Behaviours

Truanting

Young people who truant are a major problem for schools and our communities

Educational achievement is critical for young people’s wellbeing and for their community

Traditionally health has not paid much attention to this group of students

Measuring truanting

‘This year have you wagged or skipped school for a full day or more without an excuse?’

‘About how many days altogether have you wagged or skipped school this year’

(1 to 2 days’, ‘3 to 9 days’ 10 to 20 days’, ‘more than 20 days’, ‘not sure’)

Truanting = 3 or more full days of unexcused absence from school

13 years and younger

14 15 16 17 years and older

8.5

12.6

16

19.922.1

Truanting by age

Truanting by ethnicity

Maori Pacific Asian NZ European/ Other

27.6

21.1

10.6 11.7

Truanting by socio-economic deprivation

i (low deprivation) ii iii iv (high deprivation)

12.2 12.915.1

21.6

What about differences among students? Students are not the same and vary by

individual characteristics, family circumstances and emotional and behavioural issues

How do school environments impact of these students?

Are students with behavioural problems more likely to truant?

Do supportive school environments reduce the risk of truanting?

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Emotional symptoms: Impulsive/aggressive behaviour

problems: Hyperactivity/inattention problems: Peer problems

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

Mainstream Problem behaviour Anxious/depressed Compound

Proportion of all students: 45% 24% 19% 10%

Truanting behavioursRate of truanting: 6% 25% 16% 42%

Strengths and Difficulties scales

Emotional symptoms low low very high high

Impulsive/aggressive low high high very highHyperactivity/inattention low high high very highPeer problems low high high very high

Gender balance: both mainly male mainly female both

Socio-economic background

% from high deprivation backgrounds: 14% 26% 28% 36%

How do school environments impact of truanting among these groups of students?

Student MeasuresStudent relationships

‘Students in this school have difficulty getting along with each other’

Student participation in extra-curricular activities

‘Do you belong to any school sports teams?’, ‘Do you belong to any clubs or teams other than sports teams at school? (e.g. musical or singing group, cultural club, library group)’, ‘Do you do any activities to help others at school? (e.g. peer support, tutoring, coaching, being a leader, helping others with work’

School engagement

‘Teachers go out of their way to help students’, ‘Students try to get the best grades that they can’, ‘How often do the teachers at your school treat students fairly?’, ‘How much do people at school care about you?’, ‘Do you feel like you are part of your school?’, ‘Do people at your school expect you to do well?

School safety ‘Do you feel safe in your school?’, ‘During this school year, how often have you been afraid that someone will hurt or bother you at school?’, ‘This year how often have you been bullied in school?’

Teacher Measures

Innovation culture and vision

Family involvement

Teacher-student interactions

Support for ethnic diversity

Supports for disruptive students

Health and welfare services

Findings

Mainstream

Problem

behaviour

Anxious/

depressed Compound

School climate factor

Students get on well yes yes yes -

Student participate in sports etc yes - - -

Students feel part of the school and feel teachers care - - yes -

Students feel safe - - - -

Teacher-student interactions - - - -

Family involvement - - - -

Innovation - - - -

Support for disruptive students - yes - -

Support for ethnic diversity - - - -

Health and support services provided - - - -

Students differ considerably in their propensity to truant – students with emotional and behavioural problems are much more likely to truant than students without such problems.

  Most students – those with low to moderate emotional or

behavioural problems – are less likely to truant from schools where students get on well together, join in activities beyond the classroom, and feel part of the school.

However, this is not the case with students with high levels of emotional and behavioural problems. They are very likely to truant from any type or condition of school, whether there is a climate encouraging engagement or not. For these students, targeted mental health services are needed to provide treatment for their emotional health concerns and behavioural problems.

Why is information from the Youth2000 surveys important? Nationally representative Largest surveys of young people in New

Zealand Comprehensive Robust and accurate Trends over time Identifies areas of concern Dispels myths Gives young people a voice

Taking part in the National Survey in 2012 The success and validity of the national

survey depends on high response rates We randomly select 100 schools and

15% of students from each school to take part

We will do everything we can to accommodate each schools needs to minimise disruption

Each school gets a school report