WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington School Committee recently discussed the findings of the district’s 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Assessment, a survey that monitors risky behaviors among school-aged youth and young adults. These behaviors involve sexual health, mental health, unintentional injuries and violence, nutrition and physical activity, alcohol and other drugs, and tobacco.
The Committee received a presentation from Alec McKinney of John Snow, Inc. (JSI), a public health management consulting and research organization. With financial assistance from Lahey Health, JSI prepared this year’s 125-question assessment and report, comparing Wilmington’s results with those of its Middlesex League counterparts — Arlington, Burlington, Belmont, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Watertown, Woburn, and Winchester.
Key findings included:
- High percentage of students engaging in distracted driving
- Low helmet use among Wilmington Middle School students
- Wilmington High School students were more likely to feel sad/hopeless and more likely to have considered, planned or attempted suicide than high school students in other districts
- Exposure to bullying & sexual dating violence are a cause for concern
- Substance use among Wilmington High School students is generally higher than other school districts (E-cigarettes, vaping products, marijuana & prescription opioids are of major concern)
- Wilmington High School students use safe sexual practices in terms of condom use compared to other high school students in the league, but numbers could improve
- Dietary & nutritional practices are a concern
- Wilmington Middle School students overall performed better than its Middlesex League peers on most behavioral health indicators presenting an early opportunity for intervention
“While some findings might be a bit unsettling, Wilmington is not far above the norm,” McKinney told the School Committee. “These are issues that all middle schools and high schools across the country are facing.”
“I agree some of these results are very concerning and shocking,” said School Committee member Jay Samaha. “But with some of the district’s priorities around social emotional learning, I feel like we’re on the right track.”
“It’s important to remember that all this information is not really school specific. These are about their lives. These are community issues,” added School Committee member David Ragsdale. “The school district has to play its part, but these issues are not really specific to the schools. It just seems more so than it is because school is where the survey is given. This information needs to be thought about much more broadly beyond the school system.”
“My anticipation is these results will garner some interest and concern within our community, and understandably so,” noted Superintendent Dr. Glenn Brand. “This is not just a school issue or a home issue, it’s a collective issue.”
Brand encouraged community members to attend a presentation on the Secret Life of Teens & Tweens with John Mattleman on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 6:30pm inside the Middle School Auditorium. More information about the event can be found HERE.
A Deep-ish Dive Into The Results
Bullying
“There were really high rates of physical and cyberbullying among Wilmington High School students. Rates were higher in Wilmington than the Middlesex League average,” said McKinney. “In good news, both electronic and physical bullying were lower with the Middle School students.”
- 16.9% of WHS students reported being in a physical fight vs. 14.3% in the Middlesex League
- 14.2% of WHS students were electronically bullied within past 12 months vs. 11.8% in Middlesex League
- 18.4% of WHS students were bullied on school property within past 12 months; vs. 13.0% in Middlesex League
Suicide
“One of the findings that have been most startling across all of the districts are around mental health issues & suicide,” said McKinney. “Wilmington High School students reported the following: 77.2% faced overwhelming stress; 15.1% seriously considered attempting suicide; 11.3% made a suicide plan; and 7% attempted suicide…. These are substantial rates.”
Compared to students in the Middlesex League, Wilmington Middle School students, on the other hand, were LESS likely to report suicidal ideation
Substance Use
Wilmington High School students have lower alcohol use rates than their Middlesex League peer, but rates for vaping, marijuana, and prescription drugs were slightly higher.
1 in 2 WHS students reported any lifetime use of alcohol. 1 in 4 WHS students reported current use of alcohol. 1 in 6 WHS students reported engaging in binge drinking.
Wilmington Middle School students were LESS likely to drink alcohol compared to other Middlesex League schools. 9.9% of WMS students reported trying alcohol (vs. 13.1% in the League) and only 1.4% of WMS students reported current alcohol use (vs. 2.2% in the League).
Wilmington High School students are considerably MORE likely to report recent use of cigarettes (6.1% vs. 4.2%), vaping products (27.4% vs. 24.3%), marijuana (25.5% vs. 20.7%) and prescription drugs (7.2% vs. 4.4%) relative to their Middlesex League counterparts:
42.5% of WHS students reported using an electronic vaping product in their lifetime. 27.4% of these students reported being current users of electronic vapor products.
36.1% of WHS students reported that they have used marijuana in their lifetime. 24.7% of these students reported current use.
Wilmington Middle School students were LESS likely to report smoking and lifetime use & current use of marijuana compared to their Middlesex League counterparts.
Sexual Health
Compared to the Middlesex League, Wilmington High School students were MORE likely to report:
- Any sexual encounter (29.5% vs. 25.9%)
- Current sexual activity (20.9% vs. 18.8%)
- Not using any method of contraception (9.3% vs. 8.8%)
On the other hand, Wilmington Middle School students were LESS likely to report sexual behaviors compared to other students in the Middlesex League.
Sexual Violence
Among school districts, students from Wakefield High School (9.6%) and Wilmington High School (9.1%) reported the highest rates of sexual violence in past 12 months.
Wilmington High School students also had higher rates for sexual dating violence (6.8%) compared to the Middlesex League (4.8%) and the state (5.8%).
Unintentional Injuries
Compared to Middlesex League High School students, Wilmington High School students had similar rates for talking on the phone while driving and slightly lower rates for texting & driving:
- 32.9% in Wilmington texted while driving vs. 41.2% in the Middlesex League
- 6.6% in Wilmington drove while drinking alcohol vs. 4.4% in the Middlesex League
- 12.8% in Wilmington rode with a a driver who had been drinking alcohol vs. 11.9% in the Middlesex League
Wilmington Middle School students fared better that their Middlesex League peers and were: more likely to report wearing a helmet while rollerblading or skateboarding, use of seatbelts, and less likely to ride with a drunk driver.
They were, however, less likely to report helmet use when riding a bicycle.
Nutrition & Physical Activity
Compared to students in the Middlesex League, Wilmington High School students were more likely to report:
- Not engaging in physical activity
- Not eating breakfast on all 7 days of the week
- Not eating fruits
- Not eating vegetables
Similar trends were observed among Wilmington Middle School students.
The full report can be read HERE.
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