5: Health related behaviour of young people

Contacts

Preface

Contents

List of Tables
List of Figures

Abbreviations

Main Body

1: Boundaries and Populations
2: Inequalities and Deprivation
3: Ethnicity and Health
4: Environmental Hazards
5: Health related behaviour
    of young people
6: Accidents
7: Cancer
8: Teeth and fluoridation
9: Coronary Heart Disease
10: Communicable diseases

Appendices

Information is presented on smoking, drug use and alcohol consumption. Histograms are included to show the effects of gender, age and ethnic group across the region and the behaviours are mapped to show variation by Primary Care Group (PCG) (see Figures 5.7,  5.8,  5.9)

 A representative sample of approximately 2000 school children was selected from each District Health Authority (DHA) (15 at that time) in the West Midlands region. State sector schools were sampled using probability proportional to size with all schools included if there were 20 or fewer in a district. This resulted in 329 schools across the region being contacted to request participation. Within each DHA, systematic sampling (all classes in years 7 (11-12 year olds), 9 (13-14 year olds) and 11 (15-16 year olds) separately as the sampling frame) was then employed to select 30 classes. A representative region-wide sample of young people from the independent sector (n=2166) was also included. The final sample size was 29,423.

The questionnaire was completed by the young people in the classroom and analyzed according to residence. Most classes selected took part, but in some cases, mainly for year 11 pupils approaching national examinations, head-teachers subsequently decided certain classes could not participate. Our sample therefore had a slightly higher representation from the two younger year groups.

N.B. In the main report of this study only data from state schools were presented and analysis was according to school district, hence figures differ slightly.

5.1    Smoking

The proportion of young people who are regular smokers, smoking more than 1 cigarette a week, is shown in Figure 5.1 by age and sex. A greater proportion of girls (12.4%) compared to boys (11%) are regular smokers and the proportion of regular smokers increases with age (1.2% in Year 7, 10.9% in Year 9 and 23.7% by Year 11). The prevalence of regular smoking among Whites and Afro-Caribbeans is about twice that of other ethnic groups and Indians have the lowest prevalence. When gender is taken into account, among White and Afro-Caribbean young people a greater proportion of girls than boys are regular smokers, whereas, for all Asian groups the opposite is found. Pakistani and Bangladeshi but not Indian boys had a similar smoking prevalence to those of White and Afro-Caribbean origin (see Figure 5.2).

Figure 5.1 Percentage of young people who are regular smokers by age and sex

Figure 5.2 Percentage of young people who are regular smokers by ethnic group and sex

5.2    Drug Use

The young people were asked with respect to 9 illegal drugs (cannabis, solvents, ecstasy, amphetamines, LSD, cocaine, nitrates, magic mushrooms, heroin) to indicate whether they had: taken it regularly; tried it once or twice; been offered but refused it: or never been offered it. The results presented below show the proportion who had responded 'taken regularly' or 'tried it once or twice' to at least one of the listed drugs. A greater proportion of boys (20.6%) than girls (17%) have tried at least one illegal drug and the proportion increases with age, with almost 40% of year 11 having at least tried an illegal drug (Year 7 = 4%, Year 9 = 17.5%, Year 38.7%) (see Figure 5.3). Afro- Caribbean males have the highest prevalence . In all ethnic groups the rates are higher for males than females but in the Asian groups the difference is much more pronounced (see Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.3 Percentage of young people who have at least tried an illegal drug, by age and sex

Figure 5.4 Percentage of young people who have at least tried an illegal drug by ethnic group and sex

5.3    Alcohol Consumption

The proportion of young people who regularly drink alcohol (one or more alcoholic drinks per week) is considered. A greater proportion of boys (26.8%) than girls (21.3%) regularly drink alcohol and the proportion increases with age (Year 7 = 8.4%, Year 9 = 22.3%, Year 11= 43.7%, see Figure 5.5). White and Chinese (n=20) young people have the highest prevalence of drinking while Bangladeshi (n=8) and Pakistani (n=11) young people have the lowest rates (see Figure 5.6).

Figure 5.5 Percentage of young people who regularly drink alcohol, by age and sex.

Figure 5.6 Percentage of young people who regularly drink alcohol by ethnic group and sex.

5.4    Rates by area

Rates of each behaviour, smoking, drug taking and alcohol consumption (see Figures 5.7, 5.8 and 5.9 respectively) are mapped by Primary Care Group. The rates are standardized to take into account the differences between the sexes and age groups. The Standardized Incidence Ratio (S.I.R.) is plotted and the S.I.R. and 95% confidence intervals are shown in a table for clarity (see Tables 5.1, 5.2, 5.3). It is useful to bear in mind that some extreme results may be chance findings in very small samples.

Figure 5.7 Standardised Incidence Ratio for smoking by PCG.

Figure 5.8 Standardised Incidence Ratio for drug taking by PCG.

Figure 5.9 Standardized Incidence Ratio for alcohol consumption by PCG.

Table 5.1 S.I.R. with sample size and case numbers for smoking.

Table 5.2 S.I.R. with sample size and case number for drug use.

Table 5.3 S.I.R. with sample size and case number for alcohol consumption.

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