The final day of #NationalPublicHealthWeek raises awareness of mental health and wellness, making it a perfect time to call attention to results from the 2021 Healthy Youth Survey.
The Healthy Youth Survey is distributed to Washington students grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. Data from the 2021 survey suggest concerning mental health trends persist among youth, with some signs of improved health behaviors, including decreased substance use. Find more information and full results at https://askhys.net
Among the 61% of Kitsap County 10th graders who participated:
1 in 3 (39%) reported feeling sad/hopeless in the past 12 months
1 in 5 (22%) reported they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months
1 in 6 (16%) reported they made a suicide plan in the past 12 months
1 in 11 (9%) reported they attempted suicide in the past 12 months
Statewide data show some student populations are more likely to experience hopelessness, including students who identify as female, students who identify as LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, and students from lower income households.
Encouragingly, fewer students reported substance use than in previous surveys. Among Kitsap 10th graders who participated:
8% reported using alcohol in the past 30 days, down 19% from the 2018 survey.
7% reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, down 18% from 2018.
2% reported smoking cigarettes in the last 30 days, down 7% from 2018.
8% reported vaping in the last 30 days, down from 24% 2018.
Many factors might have contributed to this apparent decrease in substance use, including reduced social opportunities/access to substances during to the pandemic, and the 2020 implementation of Washington’s Tobacco 21 law, which eliminated legal purchase of tobacco products by high school-aged students.
Resources are available to help young people and their families navigate challenging times:
For proven tips on how to communicate about important issues with your teens: www.StartTalkingNow.org
For LGBTQ+ youth: www.thetrevorproject.org
Help for teens by teens: www.teenlink.org
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line provides confidential text access from anywhere in the U.S. to a trained crisis counselor. Text HOME to 741741 (24/7/365)
Find more resources at www.doh.wa.gov
Interested in seeing more health indicators for Kitsap County? Check out or assessment and data page: https://kitsappublichealth.org/inform.../data_Indicators.php
Original source can be found here.
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