1-18-2008 Arkansas:
The 2-year-old Sherwood Hometown Health Coalition heard the results on Wednesday, Jan. 9, of a youth survey done through the Pulaski County Special School District with the help of the Arkansas Department of Health.
Julie Harlan, central Arkansas’ Hometown Health Improvement Coordinator, who works for the Health Department, told coalition members during a meeting held at St. Vincent Medical Center-North that they can study the results of a survey, which asked district youths about habits in areas of smoking and other tobacco use, sexual practices, drugs, alcohol, safety, eating and exercise habits, and weapons use.
A total of 5,844 district students in grades seven through 12 completed the surveys administered in September 2006, she said. Results are broken down by ZIP code, and 1,079 children in the 72121 ZIP code were surveyed, which includes Sherwood, portions of north Pulaski County and some areas of Faulkner County, Harlan said.
“[The results] are a snapshot in time and are as accurate as the students’ reporting,” explained Harlan.
She said the 87-item, multiple-choice questionnaire was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to measure behaviors that put youth health at risk. Of the students surveyed, 30 percent were 13 years and younger, 36 percent were 14 or 15 years old, 31 percent were 16 or 17 years old, and three percent were 18 or older. A total of 18 percent were in the seventh grade, 18 percent were in the eighth, 19 percent were freshmen, 18 percent were sophomores, 14 percent were juniors and about 14 percent were seniors.
In the section dealing with physical safety and injuries, 19 percent of district students said they rarely or never wore a seatbelt when riding in a car, 21 percent said they carried a gun within the past 30 days, 37 percent said they were in a physical fight within the past 12 months, and 7 percent said they had attempted suicide within the past 12 months.
Among Sherwood area students, 32 percent reported they had been in a fight during the past 12 months. Of the 7 percent of Sherwood students who tried suicide, 3 percent said the attempt resulted in injury, poisoning or overdosing that had to be treated by a doctor or nurse.
When asked about tobacco use, 60 percent of district students said they had tried smoking a cigarette, 12 percent said they had smoked a cigarette during the past 30 days and 6 percent said they had used chewing tobacco or snuff during the past 30 days.
Sherwood area smoking statistics showed that 13 percent of students had smoked during the past 30 days. Of those students, 60 percent said they smoked two or more cigarettes per day on the days they smoked. Also, 8 percent of Sherwood students reported they used chewing tobacco or snuff during the past 30 days.
With respect to alcohol use, 67 percent of district students said they had drunk alcohol, 30 percent had tried marijuana and 3 percent said they had used methamphetamine. A total of 31 percent of Sherwood students reported drinking alcohol at least once during the past 30 days, while 15 percent said they had drunk alcohol at least five times during a two-hour period in the past 30 days. And 15 percent said they used marijuana during the past 30 days.
When questioned about sex, 46 percent of district students said they had had sexual intercourse, and of those 69 percent said they used a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse.
Among sexually active Sherwood students, 8 percent reported their first sexual intercourse came before 13 years of age, while 10 percent said they had four or more sexual partners during their lifetime, and 23 percent reported they had had sexual intercourse during the past three months. Of the Sherwood students who reported having sexual intercourse, 16 percent said they had drunk alcohol or used drugs before the last time, and 77 percent of Sherwood students reported they had been taught in school about AIDS and HIV infections.
A total of 31 percent of district students said they were overweight, with 60 percent saying they were trying to lose weight and 64 percent saying they were participating in vigorous exercise on three or more days in the past week. One-fourth of Sherwood students reported they were overweight as calculated by the Body Mass Index (BMI), and 47 percent of Sherwood students said they were trying to lose weight.
When asked about their behavior on school property, 8 percent of district students said they had carried a weapon in the past 30 days, 18 percent were in a physical fight in the past 30 days, 3 percent said they had smoked cigarettes during the past 30 days, and 24 percent said they had someone offer to sell or give them illegal drugs during the past year. A total of 17 percent of Sherwood students reported they had carried a gun, knife or club at least once during the past 30 days, and 5 percent said they had carried a gun at least once in 30 days.
“We appreciate the results of this survey and we will be studying them to see what we can do to help our youths,” said Alderwoman Sheila Sulcer, who chairs the coalition’s youth committee. Sulcer said the youth committee will meet sometime before the coalition’s next quarterly meeting in April.
The survey was the first project undertaken by the youth committee. Harlan said the state Health Department gave the surveys to the schools, which were passed out to students. ..more.. by Greg Rayburn \ Editor
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