Northern Interior regional results from the 2023 BC Adolescent Health Survey (BC AHS) were released Wednesday by McCreary Centre Society.
The provincial results from the survey were published in February and showed that substance use was generally declining among public school students in Grades 7 to 12.
Dr. Annie Smith, the McCreary Centre Society’s executive director and co-author of the Northern Interior report, explained how results in this region compared to those for the province as a whole: “We have been doing the survey for 30 years and historically we have always seen higher rates of alcohol and other substance use in this region than we typically see in places like Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The most recent survey was no exception, but we did see a drop over the past five years in Northern Interior young people smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol. The percentage who had drunk alcohol dropped from 55 per cent to 51 per cent and we went from one in four having tried smoking to around one in five.”
“Provincially, we did see a worrying trend in that, although youth were generally less likely to have tried substances, those that did use them were starting to do so at a younger age. We know that this is not only concerning from a developmental perspective but increases the chances that youth will go on to struggle with substance use challenges later in life. It was therefore good to see youth in this region not following the provincial trend when it came to earlier cannabis use.”
Northern Interior results were not all trending in a positive direction, as there were increases in youth reporting mental health challenges, and experiencing bereavement due to an overdose (12 per cent vs. 6 per cent in 2018). Also, around one in five Northern Interior youth (21 per cent) missed out on needed mental health services in the past year, with non-binary youth the most likely to have missed out (45 per cent vs. 28 per cent of females vs. 12 per cent of males).
Reflecting on these results, Smith stated: “We have seen a real uptick in youth reporting mental health conditions such as anxiety disorder and PTSD. So, it was concerning to see youth in this region being more likely than pre-covid to report that they were not able to access the mental health services they needed. It was also concerning that they were around twice as likely as local youth 5 years earlier to report that the reasons they missed out on this type of care were because their parent or guardian would not take them and because they were on a waiting list.”
“We also saw that when youth in this region were asked where they went when they needed reliable health information, they most commonly turned to a family member for that information. I think all these results tell us that as adults we need to get more comfortable talking to young people about mental health, and listening to them when they reach out for help."
The 2023 BC AHS was completed by 38,488 BC students aged 12–19 in the spring of 2023. It was the seventh time the survey had been conducted since 1992. This report is one of 16 regional reports of the BC AHS results. It shares data provided by students in Grades 7–12 in the Northern Interior Health Service Delivery Area (HSDA).
Northern Interior HSDA is comprised of three school districts: Quesnel (SD 28), Prince George (SD 57), and Nechako Lakes (SD 91). All school districts in this region have participated in the BC AHS since 2013, and all have participated in six waves of the survey. The HSDA also includes students in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (SD 93).
Some key findings for Northern Interior:
Northern Interior students remained more likely than their peers across B.C. to identify as European and Indigenous. However, the region is becoming increasingly diverse. For example, there was an increase in youth born abroad, as well as an increase in those who identified as a gender and sexual minority. Local results also showed:
- Compared to previous survey years, local youth were more likely to be living in a household with their father/stepfather, grandparent(s), and other related adults. There was also an increase in the percentage who had caretaking responsibilities for a relative (26 per cent vs. 22 per cent in 2018), and who did not have a quiet place to sleep (4 per cent vs. 2 per cent in 2018).
- In the past 12 months, 8 per cent of youth cut the size of their meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money for food, and 12 per cent went to bed hungry at least sometimes for this reason. The percentage who did not eat breakfast on school days was higher than 5 years earlier (32 per cent vs. 20 per cent in 2018), and higher than the 2023 provincial rate (29 per cent). Also, local youth were more likely than youth across BC to eat breakfast at school (13 per cent vs. 6 per cent).
- Similar to the provincial picture, youth in this region reported poorer mental health than their peers 5 years earlier. For example, they were less likely to rate their mental health as good or excellent (57 per cent vs. 71 per cent in 2018) and to feel quite or very hopeful for their future (61 per cent vs. 68 per cent).
- In comparison to the province, local youth were less likely to have accessed health care from a family doctor (49 per cent vs. 54 per cent across B.C.). They were more likely to have accessed care from a walk-in clinic (32 per cent vs. 24 per cent) and Foundry (3 per cent vs. 2 per cent).
- Northern Interior youth remained more likely than youth across the province to have engaged in sexual activity, and were less likely to report they received sex education at school (74 per cent vs. 80 per cent across B.C.). There was a local increase in students who used withdrawal as their only method of birth control (10 per cent vs. 6 per cent in 2018).
- Feeling connected and supported was linked to more positive health and well-being for students in this region. Connection to school, community, and family decreased locally and across the province. However, local youth remained more likely than those across B.C. to feel they had an adult in their neighbourhood or community who cared about them (79 per cent vs. 73 per cent).
