Pubdate: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 Source: Greensboro News & Record (NC) Copyright: 2003 Greensboro News & Record, Inc. Contact: http://www.news-record.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/173 Author: Jennifer Fernandez, News & Record Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 ( Students - United States) STUDENT DRUG, SEX SURVEY 'ALARMING' GREENSBORO -- The first health-risk behavior survey of Guilford County's middle and high school-age youth verified what many officials already know: Children are having sex, taking drugs, smoking and drinking. Though it may not be a surprise, hearing that one in two teens has had sex and one in 10 middle school students has tried drugs had a sobering effect on officials. Want to know more? To read the Guilford County Youth Risk Behavior Survey, go online to www.news-record.com/news/high_school.doc and www.news-record.com/news/middle_school.doc Results of the Guilford County Youth Risk Behavior Survey were released Thursday morning to a roomful of county school and health officials. Those present included board of education members and representatives from the nonprofit Guilford Health Partnership and the Moses Cone-Wesley Long Community Health Foundation. For the most part, Guilford's results match those of a statewide survey also taken in 2003. Nevertheless, school board member Susan Mendenhall called the Guilford results "alarming." "It also points out the fact that we need to be sure we're educating our children on all the hazards of smoking, drugs (and) sex," she said. The survey found that: . One in two teens (age 14-18 or older) has had sex at least once. Sixteen percent reported their first sexual intercourse was before age 14. . More than one in 20 teens has been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant. . Four in 10 teens and one in 10 adolescents (age 12-14) has used an illegal drug. More than 43 percent of teens have used marijuana, making it the top drug in that age group. The No. 1 drug for adolescents is inhaled solvents, such as glue. Nearly 12 percent of adolescents have tried them at least once. Common acts include sniffing glue. . One in 10 children is obese. . About 4 percent of adolescents and nearly 9 percent of teens say they've stayed home because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school. There was also good news in Thursday's report. . Nearly nine in 10 youths say their quality of life is good to excellent. . Four in 10 have performed community service. . Eight in 10 teens plan to pursue an education after high school. H. William Gruchow, a UNCG professor who compiled and analyzed the survey results, said in his presentation Thursday that, on the whole, Guilford's middle and high schoolers are no different from their peers statewide. "Guilford County youth are generally healthy and for the most part engaged in healthy behavior," he said. However, he added that officials need to "take seriously the things staring us right in the face," such as obesity and mental health. The survey revealed that about 30 percent of youths described themselves as slightly or very overweight. A separate survey in 2002 found 14.4 percent of teens were overweight, compared to 16.7 percent statewide. Using projections based on the survey, more than 9,600 Guilford County youths show signs of depression, Gruchow said. That does not surprise Barbra Lassiter, a social worker with Guilford County Schools. "A lot of children are just very sad, I guess for the same reasons that adults are sad. There's not a whole lot of positive things going on in their lives," she said. "Childhood is not the happy little haven that it used to be." Several foundation board members asked about community involvement in helping to address the issues. "We never have a chance to build community," said foundation board member Nettie Lewis Coad. "To really care about somebody, we have to learn about community." Foundation board member Ralph Shelton wanted to know whether any programs are available for children outside the school system. "I think a lot of this behavior goes beyond the school," he said. The survey was conducted in May. A random sample of more than 5,300 middle and high school students was asked to take part. Of those, 782 middle school and 1,139 high school students completed surveys with parental permission. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent for the middle school (adolescent) results and plus or minus 2.9 percent for the high school (teen) results. The questions were the same as on the statewide 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, created by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the state survey did not break down data by county. "We can use this information to help our youth be healthy and successful," said Laura Mrosla of the nonprofit Guilford Health Partnership. The partnership plans to offer the results to church groups and organizations so that the community can get involved in helping target problem areas. "Very definitely the survey is a start and we've got to go deeper," Gruchow said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake