WILMINGTON, MA — Eye-Opening. Alarming. Scary. Helpful. Important. Conversation Starter.
Wilmington Superintendent of Schools Mary DeLai revealed the results of the school district’s 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in her latest blog post, published yesterday. DeLai also invited parents to attend the Community Forum on Heroin Addiction at St. Thomas on Wednesday, October 28 at 7pm and the Parent Education Night on Combating Underage Substance Abuse & Abuse in the Wilmington Middle School Auditorium on Tuesday, November 10 at 7pm.
Read DeLai’s summary of the results below:
Last spring, Wilmington Public Schools administered the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to 989 Wilmington students in Grades 7-11. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor “risky” behaviors among middle school and high school students. It is administered in districts across the country on a bi-annual basis.
Among youth and young adults in the US, nearly three quarters of all deaths are caused by motor vehicle accidents, unintentional injuries, homicide, or suicide. This age group also experiences health problems and social problems resulting from teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. These leading causes of morbidity and mortality are related to five categories of youth behavior: (1) alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; (2) behaviors that lead to unintentional injuries; (3) sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; (4) poor nutrition; and (5) low levels of physical activity. The data collected through the YRBS can help schools, government agencies, and community organizations develop health, drug abuse, and violence prevention programs to better support our youth. (Rothenbach Research and Consulting, LLC, 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Wilmington Report)
The survey tool has been shown to be a valid and reliable instrument and our large sample size provides for a high confidence interval and level of statistical precision. In other words, the results accurately depict the behaviors and attitudes of the our students.
The results of the survey confirmed what we have suspected, namely, that we need to do a better job of supporting students with substance abuse prevention and behavioral health needs. The survey results at the high school level (Grades 9-11) indicate the following:
- 53.5% have used alcohol at least once in their lifetime
- 30.3% have used marijuana at least once
- 11% have used cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or ecstasy at least once
- 32.2% report having used alcohol in the past 30 days
- 16.6% report having engaged in binge drinking in the past 30 days
- 18.2% have used marijuana over the past 30 days
- Of those students reporting having used alcohol at least once, 75% had their first drink between the ages of 13 and 16 while 21.2% first tried alcohol before the age of 13. For marijuana, the percentages are identical.
Survey results for middle school students (Grades 7-8) show that:
- 24.2% have used alcohol at least once in their lifetime
- 10.4% report having used marijuana at least once
- 4.2% report using prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them at least once
- 12.9% report having used vapor products within the past 30 days
The YRBS also includes questions to assess the sexual behaviors of students. At the high school level:
- 28% of students report that they have had sexual intercourse in their lifetime; for Grade 11 students, 40% of report having had sexual intercourse at least once
- Among those who report having been sexually active, 16% have had sex with two or more people in the past three months
- 31% of students did not use a condom during sexual intercourse
At the middle school level:
- 12.2% of students report having had sexual intercourse at least once in their lifetime
- Of those respondents who report being sexually active, 62% report having had sex with more than two people
- Only 49.1% of those who are sexually active used a condom during their last episode of sexual intercourse
With respect to emotional health, at the high school level:
- 22% of students report having had feelings of sadness or hopelessness for two weeks or more in a row for the past 12 months
- 12.5% of students report having hurt or injured themselves on purpose in the past twelve months
- 11% of students report having seriously considered attempting suicide
- 9.9% of students report having made a suicide plan within the past 12 months
- 7.1% report having attempted suicide in the past 12 months
Among middle school students:
- 21.2% of students surveyed report having seriously considered attempting suicide
- 14% report having made a suicide plan within their lifetime
- 6.6% report having attempted suicide
We share these results with you not to cause panic or fear but to highlight how important it is for all of us to work together to minimize risky behaviors and maximize protective factors for our students. These are just some of the results. On October 21, 2015, a full presentation will be made to the Wilmington School Committee by Bert Rothenbach of Rothenbach Research and Consulting, LLC, the firm that administered the survey and collected and analyzed the results. The Committee meets at 7:00 p.m. in the Wilmington High School Large Group Instruction Room. We invite those interested in learning more to attend this meeting.
Please know that our district is working hard and working quickly to develop plans and programs to better support our students. This includes examining our current health curriculum K-12 and ensuring that we are appropriately addressing the risk and protective factors at the right age level. We are working to identify and implement a stronger social-emotional learning curriculum to build resilience among our students and teach them how to manage emotions and manage conflict and stress. Each year, we use the SBIRT to assess and identify students who may be at risk for alcohol or drug use or abuse. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based practice used to identify, reduce, and prevent problematic use, abuse, and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs.
In the future, we plan to examine the district’s Chemical Health Policy and leverage it to better support students who may have made bad decisions around the use of alcohol or drugs. We were just recently awarded the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center Community Collaborative Grant in the amount of $10,000 which will be used to train staff, parents, and community members in Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based program that teaches individuals how to provide short term assistance and direction to those struggling with mental health issues. Our community has also reconvened the Wilmington Substance Abuse Coalition with representatives from all town departments including the school department. The Coalition is developing a plan to strengthen supports for residents and better address substance abuse prevention.
What is most important is that we recognize that these challenges are not solely within the purview of our schools – these are community challenges and as a community, we need to work together to address these issues and provide support not only to our students but also to the adults in our community who struggle with substance abuse or mental health issues.
On October 28th, Wilmington will be hosting a community forum on heroin addiction at St. Thomas Church from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. All of the sponsors of this event – the Wilmington Board of Health, Wilmington Police Department, Town of Wilmington, St. Thomas Parish, and Wilmington Public Schools – are hopeful for a strong turnout and the beginning of a community conversation about what we all need to do to better support our students, our parents, our residents, and each other.
On November 10th, Wilmington Public Schools will be hosting a parent education night on combating underage substance use and abuse led by the Middlesex Partnership for Youth and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. This event will be held at the Wilmington Middle School Auditorium beginning at 7:00 p.m. We expect to have babysitting services available for those parents who require child care. In the past, attendance at such events has been disappointingly low. It is my sincere hope that on November 10th, the WMS Auditorium will be filled to capacity with parents eager to learn the signs and symptoms of substance use and abuse, what to do to prevent substance abuse, and how best to assist children who are struggling with substance abuse. As educators, we do what we can to develop resilience and teach children how to make good decisions and avoid risky behaviors. But we cannot do this work alone. We need parents and community members to be active partners in this important effort.
Please take the time to attend one of the three events mentioned here and please get involved and become engaged. In many communities across the state and the country, a sense of urgency has been created only after a tragedy occurs. Let’s be proactive. Let’s not wait for tragedy to strike. Let’s act now.
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