Youth Health SurveyPartners in Health

and Learning

Goals of Session

Overview YHS Initiative Goals Learning from Insights and Findings of YHS

reports Strengthen Relationships and Partnerships Building on Current Initiatives Looking for Opportunities for Action

Agenda Introductions and Welcoming Remarks Overview of YHS Initiative Discussion and Interpretation of Findings Current Activities, Opportunities and Next

Steps

PhilosophyThe concept of health-promoting schools emerges from a

global movement that recognizes two key ideas: healthy children are better able to learn and schools can directly influence the health of students.

A health-promoting school embraces the view that promoting children’s health is a shared responsibility with parents, the health sector, and the community. It strives to be a healthy setting for learning and working. Schools, in partnership with parents and the greater community, can provide an ideal setting for practices that enhance both health and learning.

Population Health Approach

Overview of YHS Initiative Interlake Regional Health Authority (2005-2006) Based on a variety of widely used surveys (including

SHAPES, Canadian Community Health Survey, etc.) Ten RHA’s followed with youth grade 6-12 Winnipeg RHA (2008) targeted grades 9-12 Partnership with Partners in Planning for Healthy

Living (PPHL), CancerCare MB, MB Health and Healthy Living, HCMO, MB Education Citizenship & Youth (MECY) and School Divisions

Goals of YHS Strengthen collaboration between schools and

Regional Health Authorities Further develop Healthy Schools Initiative Increase relevance and access to resources Increase opportunities for change

YHS: Survey Tool

Survey Themes Physical Activity Healthy Eating Smoking, Alcohol, and Drug Use Wellbeing

Physical Activity Physical Activity Levels When Students are Active Strength Activities in Youth Time Spent in Sedentary Activities Factors Supporting Physical Activities Recreation Activities Satisfaction with Quantity of School Sports Student Perceptions of Physical Activity Education

at School

Healthy Eating Eating Habits of Students Healthy Body Weight

Smoking, Alcohol, and Drug Use Who Smokes at School Factors that Influence Student

Smoking How Students Obtain Cigarettes Trying to Quit Alcohol & Drug Use

Wellbeing Overall Feelings of Well-being School Connectedness

Anyplace School Quick Facts X% of female students and X% of male students

participate in the recommended amount of physical activity daily.

X% of students use active transportation to get to school.

Students’ most common response to how much time is spent reading (not related to schoolwork, homework or paid work) and doing homework was less than 1 hour/week reading and 1 to 6 hours/week doing homework.

Survey Participation

The response rate for Anyplace School was X%.

The students who responded were X% female and X% male

Anyplace Quick Facts Only X% of students eat 7 or more fruits

and/or vegetables per day. X% of males and X% of females fall within

the recommended healthy weight category. X% of students consider themselves

underweight, X% overweight and X% healthy weight.

X% of males and X% of females report being current smokers.

X% of male smokers and X% of female smokers have plans to quit smoking sometime in the future.

X% of students indicated that their school had a clear set of rules about smoking for students.

X% of students had at least 1 drink of alcohol in the last 30 days.

Anyplace Quick Facts

X% of students strongly agree or agree that they feel close to people in their school.

X% of students strongly agree or agree that they feel part of their school.

X% of students strongly agree or agree that they are happy to be at their school.

X% of students strongly agree or agree that they feel safe in their school.

X% of students report that they had felt hopeless in the past 12 months.

Anyplace Quick Facts

Focus Questions for Discussion

What story does this data tell you? ( eg from your own context, from your eyes)

What additional information do you need to arrive at a decision to act?

Does this story challenge your assumptions? Is this what you expected?

What are the differences between the students and grades and what may be contributing factors?

How can we make a difference? What is the sphere of influence and control that schools have? How and who to engage in the response to the findings in the Youth Health Survey Report?

How will the information be shared with other school staff, parents, students, the community?

Next StepsDeveloping partnerships Who needs to be involved in knowing the

data/information and working with it? How to involve the students; what does

the YHS Report say to them? How do we work with the school from an

organizational perspective? Eg Current involvement with the high school eg Healthy Schools or Health Promoting School Committees, at the division level? Team Manager, PHN, Community Facilitator, and how does this look?

Next Steps (cont’d) Environmental supports

What are the barriers to taking action? What is the impetus to action? Are there policies that support the change? Are policies

needed? Action plan

What needs to be done next? Evaluation

Planning to evaluate Differences between statistical significance and clinical

significance; have we made a difference?

Web Resources

Manitoba Healthy Schools (English and French links) http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyschools The Canadian Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention (English and French links) http://cbpp-pcpe.phac-aspc.gc.ca Canadian Cancer Society Knowledge Exchange Network (English and French links) http://www.cancer.ca/Manitoba/Prevention/MB-Knowledge%20Exchange%20Network.aspx?sc_lang=en health-evidence.ca (English and French links) http://health-evidence.ca Health-in-Common (English and French, Manitoba based) http://www.healthincommon.ca