More than one quarter of high school students report being harassed on school property. One quarter report binge drinking in the past 30 days. And one quarter of high school students here are also currently sexually active.
Want to get a better understanding of the pressures and risks students in Boulder County are facing? Check out the results of the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Every two years, the county surveys high school students in the St. Vrain Valley and Boulder Valley school districts and middle school students in Boulder Valley School District to take the pulse of their health. Questions cover risky behaviors that lead to unintentional injuries and violence, like riding with a drunk driver or not wearing a helmet; tobacco use; alcohol and drug use; sexual activity and habits; diet; and exercise. Participating high school students answer 109 questions, while middle school students answer 51 questions. Results are generalizable.
Released this fall, the 2011 YRBS results shed light on areas where we’re doing well as well as areas in which we need improvement. For example, our rates of cigarette use are lower than the national average, more kids here get at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night, and more kids wear helmets when riding a bike. On the flip side, more students here binge drink, have sex without a condom, and have tried cocaine. Scary stuff. Striking in the results are the disparities visible across gender, ethnicity, and (most notably) sexual orientation. Here are some Boulder County statistics:
* 43% of middle school students report being bullied on school property. At the high school level, roughly 27% of students report being harassed on school property; for LGBQ students, that figure jumps to 52%.
* 21% of high school students have intentionally injured themselves through things like cutting; For LGBQ kids, that figure jumps to 61%.
* 7% of high school students overall report attempting suicide; for LGBQ students, that figure jumps to 31%.
* 16% of middle school students have consumed alcohol, while 40% of high school students had at least one alcoholic drink in the past 30 days. One quarter of high school students report binge drinking during the past 30 days, or having five drinks in a row within a couple of hours.
* 9% of high school students have used cocaine, and 4.5% use it currently.
* 35% of high school students have had sexual intercourse, with 3% of students having sex before the age of 13; 61% of LGBQ students have had sexual intercourse, with 13% doing so before 13.
* Of the 25% of high school students who are currently sexually active, only 57% used a condom during their last sexual intercourse.
* 28% of sexually active high school students used alcohol or drugs before their last intercourse.
* 54% of female high school students are currently attempting to lose weight, even though the vast majority of them are not overweight or obese.
The good news, according to Healthy Youth Alliance Program Manager Leisha Conners Bauer, is that kids care about their parents’ opinions, and talking to kids about risks can positively impact the choices they make. The county is in the process of developing public service announcements to help parents start conversations around risk behaviors.
The county’s Youth Opportunities Advisory Board (YOAB) is also organizing a panel to address issues facing GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning) students, including high-disparity risk areas highlighted in the YRBS results. The panel will be held on Saturday December 8th from 3pm to 4:30pm at New Vista High School in Boulder.
For more information on YRBS, visit http://www.bouldercounty.org/family/youth/pages/yrbsoverview.aspx
For more information on YOAB, visit http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4507&Itemid=1866
