The 2023 BC Adolescent Health Survey (AHS) results for Fraser East were released Wednesday (Aug. 14), showing a decrease in those who rated their overall mental health positively.
The survey, conducted by the McCreary Centre Society, showed that 59 per cent of youth rated their mental health as good or excellent in 2023, compared to 71 per cent in 2018 and 79 per cent in 2013.
Males were more likely to rate their overall health and mental health as good or excellent: 71 per cent compared to 49 per cent for females and 17 per cent for non-binary youth.
The AHS is conducted every five years and is administered to youth in Grades 7 to 12, looking at youth health trends, emerging issues, and risk and protective factors for healthy development.
Around 38,500 young people ages 12 to 19 in 60 school districts completed the 2023 survey.
The Fraser East region covers four school districts – Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack and Fraser Cascade (Hope, Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs, Yale and Boston Bar).
Dr. Annie Smith, McCreary’s executive director and co-author of the report, said the picture of young people’s health in Fraser East reflects what is happening in other parts of the province.
She said survey respondents are less likely to report positively on their health – particularly their mental health – than in previous years.
“Locally, we have seen decreases from before the COVID-19 pandemic in youth who feel connected to school and family and in those who have in-person friends,” Smith said.
“These are all things that we know are linked to mental health, and it is also sad to see a decrease in local youth who feel hopeful for their future.”
Smith said sleep, exercise and nutrition are known to support more positive mental health among adolescents.
Fraser East youth were less likely than their peers across B.C. to have slept for at least eight hours the night before completing the survey (38 per cent vs. 42 per cent provincially) and compared to local youth in previous survey years (48 per cent in 2018, for example).
Also, just under one in five local youth (19 per cent) met the daily recommended targets for physical activity, and the percentage who ate breakfast on school days dropped by 10 per cent in five years.
“These are all concerning findings. We also know that 28 per cent of local students missed school in the month before they took the survey because they slept in, and that the majority were on their phone after they were expected to be asleep,” Smith said.
“Teaching youth good sleep hygiene and ensuring they get enough sleep could really support their well-being, and particularly their mental health.”
However, Smith said there is also a lot for the region to celebrate in terms of how young people are doing.
“We have seen decreases in youth who have engaged in sexual activity and used substances, and we still see the majority do report positively on their life, have things they enjoy and feel they are good at, and have positive plans for the future.”
Youth in Fraser East were more likely than those five years earlier to have an adult they could talk to if they were having a serious problem (26 per cent had such an adult both inside and outside their family in 2023 compared to 19 per cent in 2018).
Rural-based youth generally reported less positive health and well-being than urban-based youth. However, they were more likely to report having an adult outside their family they could talk to (46 per cent versus 33 per cent of urban-based youth).
Other survey findings for Fraser East:
• Youth were less likely than those five years earlier to have smoked tobacco (13 per cent vs. 19 per cent in 2018), used cannabis (21 per cent vs. 27 per cent) and tried alcohol (35 per cent vs. 43 per cent). However, those who had tried alcohol were more likely than youth five years earlier to have first done so before their 13th birthday (32 per cent vs. 24 per cent in 2018).
• Around one-third of youth were accidentally injured seriously enough to need medical attention in the past 12 months, compared to 26 per cent in 2018. There was also an increase in non-accidental injuries during this time frame, as 24 per cent of youth cut or injured themselves on purpose without trying to kill themselves (compared to 19 per cent in 2018).
• Eleven per cent of youth had lost someone close to them to an overdose. This was higher than the provincial average of eight per cent and reflected a local increase from seven per cent in 2018.
The full survey results can be viewed at mcs.bc.ca/pdf/2023_bcahs_fraser_east.pdf
RELATED: B.C. teens struggling more with anxiety, depression: 2018 report
