Survey Highlights Calif. Students’ Tobacco Use, Mental Health
A survey administered by the California Department of Education details the health of middle school and high school students in the state based on tobacco use, mental health and other metrics, EdSource reports.
Details of Survey
The California Healthy Kids Survey collected data on students in grades seven, nine and 11 from a randomly selected pool of 109 secondary schools in the state. According to EdSource, the schools were representative of the state.
Schools were offered a financial incentive to participate (Adams, EdSource, 3/9).
Findings
According to the survey, few students reported using tobacco products. Specifically:
- 5% of seventh grade students said they had smoked a cigarette or used smokeless tobacco in the last 30 days;
- 7% of ninth grade students said they had done so; and
- 12% of 11th grade students said they had done so.
When asked about mental health issues, the survey found that:
- 33% of 11th grade students reported feeling sad or hopeless in the last 12 months;
- 31% of ninth grade students reported feeling sad or hopeless in the last 12 months; and
- 25% of seventh grade students reported feeling sad or hopeless in the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, the survey found that 17% of 11th graders and 19% of ninth graders had seriously considered attempting suicide in the last 12 months (Healthy Kids Survey, 2015).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.