Survey Results
The Challenges Our Young People Are Reporting
We can learn a lot about the challenges our young people face by reading the results of a survey called the YRRS (Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey). The 2009 YRRS data for Santa Fe County can tell Santa Feans about youth alcohol, tobacco and drug use, bullying and violence, depression and suicide. The survey is conducted every two years in high school and middle school. Students report on the risk factors and resiliency factors in their lives. You may learn more about this report at http://www.youthrisk.org.
Emotional Health
- Students reporting persistent feeling of sadness and hopelessness: High School 29.1%
- Students reporting that they "seriously considered suicide": High School 14.5% Middle School 21.2%
Violence
- Students reporting being in a physical fight in the past year: High School 37.5% Middle School 57.4%
- Students reporting skipping school because they didn't feel safe at least one day in the past month: High School 8.6%
- Students reporting being "hit by boyfriend/girlfriend": High School 9.2%
- Students reporting being forced to have sexual intercourse: High School 8.3%
- Students reporting being bullied at school past 12 months: High School 19.0% Middle School 27.8%
Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs
- Students reporting drinking alcohol before age 13: High School 34.1%
- Students reporting drinking before age 11: Middle School 19.3%
- Student reporting it was easy to get alcohol: High School 69.0% Middle School 36.5%
- Students reporting being a "current drinker": High School 46.6% Middle School 23.7%
- Students reporting being a "binge drinker "(five drinks in couple of hours in last 30 days): High School 31.3%
- Been reporting being offered drugs or sold drugs at school in the past year: High School 41.4%
- Students reporting being a current marijuana user: High School 33.8% Middle School 24.0%
- Students reporting that they had ever used marijuana: High School 54.7% Middle School 25.5%
- Students reporting that they used* a painkiller (to get high): High School 16.3%
- Students reporting that they used* cocaine: High School 5.4%
- Students reporting that they used* heroin: High School 5.2%
- Students reporting that they used* methamphetamine: High School 5.7%
- Students reporting that they used* inhalants: High School 9.6%
- Students reporting that they used* ecstasy: High School 9.1%
*in last 30 days
- Students reporting that they are a current smoker: High School 24.2% Middle School 10.3%
- Students reporting that they drove when drinking: High School 11.5%
- Students reporting that they rode with drinking driver in the past 30 days: High School 30.4% Middle School 36.0%
- Students reporting "never or rarely wears a bicycle helmet": High School 85.7% Middle School 78.6%
Evaluating Success
Every community within a city is in a different place when it comes to promoting youth safety, health and success in school. Some communities have a variety of resources, few risk factors and many protective factors. Injury rates may be low and high school graduation rates may be high. Other communities struggle to create safe environments for children and teens. Resources may be lacking and families may be living near or below the poverty level.
Addressing problems means forming coalitions, making plans, implementing projects and monitoring progress. Once a community coalition is formed, priorities can be set and step-by-step progress can be monitored closely to ensure success.
The goal of Let's Talk is to support communities in:
- Increasing the knowledge of community members so residents of all ages know how to solve problems related to substance abuse, violence and injury;
- Implementing community projects and evidence-based youth safety and health policies and programs while evaluating the effectiveness of each prevention strategy.
Making progress toward youth safety goals starts with understanding the problems young people face. Tracking youth substance abuse, violence and injury is a key part of injury and violence prevention. We can track deaths, hospitalizations and disability. Data can tell us about the problems associated with injury and violence, the populations that are most at risk and where to focus prevention efforts. There are two excellent sources of data for all community members to access:
The Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey
YRRS (Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey), a collaboration between DOH and Public Education Department, provides data on injury from its statewide survey of middle and high school students broken down by county. http://www.youthrisk.org
NMIBIS (New Mexico Indicator Based Information System)
IBIS provides data on safety and heath issues. IBIS also includes an Injury Portal that is intended as a one-stop location for injury data. http://ibis.health.state.nm.us/resources/Injury_Portal.html
To learn more about evaluation tools, surveying, focus groups, survey monkey and how to track projects and progress, please contact your Let's Talk Workshop Presenter or the Let's Talk Coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
