Teens Found Cleaning Up Their Act a Bit

By John Estus, The Oklahoman

Jan. 18–Risky health choices are still part of being an Oklahoma teenager, but teens here are now exercising more and doing fewer illegal drugs than they did two years ago, a new survey shows.

However, the state Health Department’s most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey did reveal a higher percentage of high school-age teens had sex, chewed tobacco and drove after drinking alcohol last year than in past years.

Still, health officials said they are encouraged by the decrease in use of drugs such as methamphetamine and marijuana, which they see as key health concerns.

The survey is useful for health officials because it shows them which risky behaviors teens need to be warned about.

“It allows us to focus our efforts on various activities that we’re needing to target to provide education and outreach to the schools,” said Jim Marks, director of the Health Department’s Child and Adolescent Health division.

Health Department officials worked with the state Department of Education to conduct the survey, which is done every two years and was prepared by the federal Centers for Disease Control.

About 2,600 students representing 51 state public high schools participated last year.

Among the key findings:

— Fewer students said they’ve tried cigarettes. About 55 percent of the students surveyed last year said they tried smoking at least once, compared to about 62 percent in 2005.

— Students admitting to smoking cigarettes daily declined from nearly 18 percent in 2005 to about 13 percent last year.

— Meth use dropped from about 7 percent of students surveyed in 2005 to 5.5 percent last year.

— Marijuana use dropped from about 39 percent to about 33 percent.

— While physical activity rose significantly, only half the students surveyed said they participated in physical activity last year. That was up from about 38 percent in 2005.

— Students watching more than three hours of television a day declined from nearly 39 percent to about 33 percent.

More than saying ‘No’ Marks said the Health Department’s efforts, some mandated by the Legislature, to help schools educate their students about health risks contributed to some of the health improvements found in the survey.

Marks pointed to the statewide Strong and Healthy Oklahoma Initiative, which carries the catchphrase “Eat Better, Move More and be Tobacco Free.”

“It’s much, much more than just telling to students to say: ‘No,’” Marks said.

While high school students still engage in risky behavior, they seem to be doing so in a more responsible manner, said Richard Caram, principal of Harding Charter Preparatory High School in Oklahoma City.

He said more students are using designated drivers if they drink and protection if they have sex.

“The children that I talk to are having protected sex,” Caram said, adding that he sees far fewer pregnancies than in the past.

Caram said just as many high school students drink alcohol as in years past, but that they’re now drinking more responsibly.

“When they do (drink), for the most part, they use designated drivers,” Caram said.

“When we leave on Fridays, we say if you’re going to party, make sure there’s a designated driver.”

Better targets Marks said the data generated by the survey is specific enough that health officials can target certain health education initiatives to parts of the state that may need it more than others. For instance, since chewing tobacco problems seem to be more prevalent at rural schools than urban schools, officials target more chewing tobacco education initiatives there than they do in inner-city schools.

“I don’t see any (chewing tobacco problems) here,” Caram said.

“Overall, we see far fewer kids smoking cigarettes even than I did five years ago.”

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