"Promoting Healthy Youth Decision Making"

Category Archives: Resources

Spring of 2010 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results

Wayland’s most recent data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey can be found in the following presentation slides…

Click this link to download a PDF of the “In Their Own Words” Presentation slides.

“In Their Own Words”

November 9, 2011, 7:15 pm, WMS auditorium

Wayland High School students present information from the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey taken by Wayland middle and high school students. This survey has been conducted every other year since 2006 to Wayland and 20 other communities in the Metrowest area. Learn what the data reflects about Continue reading →

How Wayland Data is Obtained – YRBS data

Youth and Parent Surveys

WaylandCares in cooperation with the Wayland Public Schools have conducted bi-annual youth risk behavior surveys (YRBS) since 1998. A parent survey was completed in 2006 and will be updated in 2010. The coalition uses the results of both surveys to determine the extent of youth substance abuse, track changes, and detect any differences between student and parent perceptions among other information. Results of the YRBS also provide the core information the coalition needs to report to the federal government for the Drug-Free Communities grant: current use, age of on-set, perception of harm, and perception of parental disapproval. This data guides the type of programming required. For example, if students do not perceive the harm of using alcohol, an enhanced curriculum may combat this. If students report their perception that everyone drinks, but usage reported reflect that the majority of students do NOT use alcohol, a marketing campaign is needed to correct this myth.  Overall, survey data helps to avoid the “Ready, Fire, Aim!” approach to programming and provide the information truly needed to conduct meaningful and effective education and policy change for our community. Continue reading →

Reducing Stress

A letter from Claire Kelly, The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Let’s talk about stress, shall we?

Many teens will be taking midterms and SATs this month. Others are visiting colleges — or deciding which college to attend. Pile on a varsity sport, a few school projects, nightly homework, a part-time job, a social life…and well, I’m getting stressed just thinking about it.

According to a recent report, there is a record level of stress among college freshmen. A large share of the students said they had frequently felt overwhelmed with all they had to do as high school seniors. Continue reading →

The Adolescent Brain and Substance Abuse

Research now shows that the brain is not fully developed until about the age of 25. One of the last areas of the brain to develop is the frontal lobe, which controls planning, decision making, impulse control, language, and memory. This area of the developing brain is particularly sensitive to alcohol and other drugs.

The following is from “A Parent’s Guide For the Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use” which is published by The Community of Concern.

Learning:

Alcohol is a more potent blocker of learning adolescents than in adults. The hippocampus, the brain region critical for forming new memories, is particularly affected by alcohol use during adolescence. Youth who drink show reduced brain response and score worse than non-drinkers on vocabulary, general information, memory and memory retrieval tests. Verbal and non-verbal information recall is most heavily affected, with a 10% performance decrease in alcohol users. Continue reading →

Alcohol Poisoning

A single dose of alcohol can kill a person if enough is consumed at one time. Alcohol can shut down parts of the brain that control breathing and other automatic functions and lead to death. Alcohol poisoning can cause irreversible brain damage.

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning:
• Mental confusion
• Difficulty being roused/”passed out”
• Slow or irregular breathing
• Low body temperature
• Bluish skin color

What you should NOT do:
• Never encourage vomiting—the airway may become blocked or the vomited material can accidentally be inhaled into the lungs, causing infection or possible death
• Do NOT let the person sleep, eat, or take a cold shower.
• Do NOT leave the person alone

If you suspect alcohol poisoning, stay with that person and seek medical attention; call 911.

Close
loading...