Pubdate: Wed, 16 Mar 2016
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Randy Shore
Page: A3
Referenced: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children in Canada: Focus 
on Relationships: http://mapinc.org/url/J3GrDPPf

TEEN POT USE ON THE DECLINE

Health Survey Reveals Details of Children's Physical, Mental Health

The World Health Organization and the Public Health Agency of Canada 
have released the results of the latest survey of nearly 30,000 
children in 377 schools across Canada, first administered in 1990.

The 2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey is conducted 
in 44 countries every four years to take a snapshot of the mental and 
physical health of children aged 11 to 15 in Grades 6 through 10.

"This study is about life, the universe and everything for 
teenagers," said Canadian coauthor Elizabeth Saewyc, a professor at 
the University of British Columbia. "We look at everything from 
whether they are eating their vegetables to getting enough sleep and 
risk-taking behaviour."

POT USE DOWN

Cannabis use is now at its lowest level since 1990. About 23 per cent 
of boys and girls aged 15 and 16 report having tried the drug, which 
is down by half from its peaks in 2002, when 50 per cent of boys said 
they had smoked, and 1998, when 40 per cent of girls had tried pot.

"Young people that have positive relationships with adults and that 
feel connected at school are far less likely to use cannabis or 
participate in risky drinking," said Saewyc.

A dramatic drop since 2010 helped erase the steady growth in 
experimentation with cannabis recorded through the '90s.

OLDER TEENS EXERCISE LESS

Only one in five children in the survey participates in moderate to 
vigorous physical activity often enough to meet Canada's physical 
activity guidelines. That number hasn't changed much since 2002. Time 
spent on physical activity declines with age until Grade 10, when 22 
per cent of boys were active for at least 60 minutes a day and only 
10 per cent of girls. More than 50 per cent of boys and 40 per cent 
of girls watch more than two hours a day of television and nearly as 
many spent more than two hours a day playing video games.

TEEN GIRLS SEXUALLY HARASSED

One in four children reported being bullied at least twice a week in 
2014, a figure that has been rising since 2006. However, the number 
of children that admit to victimizing others has dropped by half over 
the same period. About two-thirds of girls at all ages report being 
indirectly bullied, often through exclusion or spreading lies, and by 
Grade 10, 40 per cent say they have been sexually harassed. Nearly 30 
per cent of boys report being physically bullied, about double the 
rate for girls.

SIGNS OF DEPRESSION

When researchers probed for early signs of depression - feeling sad 
or hopeless every day for two weeks in a row - they found Grade 9 and 
10 girls were most at risk.

More than 40 per cent reported sadness that prevented them from doing 
their usual activities. One in three Grade 9 and 10 girls reported 
that they often felt lonely.

SUGAR WANING, BUT ...

While the amount of candy and soft drinks consumed by school-aged 
children has declined steadily since 2002, about 40 per cent of 
students report going through days without eating any fruits or vegetables.

Only 40 per cent eat both fruits and vegetables once a day or more, 
up substantially from a decade ago.

By Grade 10, one in three students eats in a fast-food restaurant 
once a week or more and about half skip breakfast some of the time. 
One in three boys and one in four girls are overweight or obese 
according to their Body Mass Index.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom