Buffalo Public Schools Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey Report, 2011 Prepared by: Ciurczak & Company, Inc.

Transcription

1 Buffalo Public Schools Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey Report, 2011 Prepared by: Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Ciurczak & Co., Inc.

2 District-wide Middle School Summary Areas of Exploration Fifteen percent of Buffalo Public Schools middle school students report having had sexual intercourse, and 6% report having had three or more partners. More than two times as many Buffalo Public Schools middle school students reported being bullied on school property than BPS high school students. Illegal prescription drug use is low among BPS middle school students, but increases dramatically among BPS high school students. Methods and Reporting Notes The survey was administered by Buffalo Public Schools via Survey Monkey in late October, District-wide, 76% of students in grade 6 through 8 completed valid surveys; this is a high valid response rate, indicating that data are highly representative of the district middle school population as a whole. Middle school response rates varied, by school, from 21% to 94%. Academically higher-performing schools tended to have higher valid response rates than lower-performing schools. At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not report comparative data for middle school students statewide or nationally. This is due, in part, to a concern over the validity of such data, and because of the general nature of the questions asked in the middle school survey. District-level data in this report serve as a baseline for the district s future administrations of the middle school survey. Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page i

3 Administration Notes Valid response rates varied widely from school to school, from 20% to 87%. All Spanish-language surveys were invalid (n=100) due to several errors within the survey. This had a negative impact on the response rate of Schools #30 (reducing the response rate from 73% to 66%) and #76 (from 57% to 42%). Academically higher-performing schools tended to have higher valid response rates than lower-performing schools. Table 1: Middle School Survey Administration Data, by School Number School Number Percent of Students with Completed Survey BEDS Count Number of Number Percent of Valid School Name Grades 6-8 Completed of Valid Valid Response Rate 3 D Youville Porter Campus School % 97 93% 51% 6 Buffalo Elementary School of Technology % % 73% 18 Dr. Antonia Pantoja School % % 76% 19 Native American Magnet School % % 66% 27 Hillery Park % % 74% 30 Frank A. Sedita Academy* % % 66% 31 Harriet Ross Tubman School % % 65% 32 Bennett Park Montessori@# % % 64% 33 Bilingual Center % 30 94% 20% 37 Futures Academy % % 70% 39 Martin Luther King Multicultural Institute % % 62% 43 Lovejoy Discovery School at # % 92 90% 67% 45 International School@4 & % 75 91% 69% 53 Community School # % 88 94% 60% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 1

4 BEDS Count Number of Percent of Students with Number Percent of Valid School Number School Name Grades 6-8 Completed Completed Survey of Valid Valid Response Rate 59 Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet % % 59% 66 North Park Middle Academy % % 78% 67 Discovery School % % 87% 69 Houghton Academy % % 65% 72 Lorraine Elementary % % 71% 74 Hamlin Park School % 96 93% 64% 76 Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy* % 89 68% 42% 79 Pfc. William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence % % 72% 80 Highgate Heights % % 64% 81 Community School # % % 86% 89 Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence % % 78% 91 BUILD Academy % % 65% 93 Southside Elementary School % % 67% 94 West Hertel Academy % 65 84% 58% 95 Waterfront Elementary School % % 77% 97 Harvey Austin School % 47 98% 82% 156 Frederick Law Olmsted % % 78% 192 Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts % % 82% 195 City Honors School at 56 & % % 81% 197 Math Science Technology Preparatory School % 73 95% 84% 198 The International Preparatory School % 86 89% 50% 204 Lafayette High School % % 64% -- No School Listed/Inactive School % -- *Response Rates were negatively impacted by invalidated Spanish-language surveys. Total % % 76% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 2

5 Table 2: Middle School Survey Administration Data, by Response Rate (Highest to Lowest) BEDS Count Number of Percent of Students with Number Percent of Valid School Number School Name Grades 6-8 Completed Completed Survey of Valid Valid Response Rate 67 Discovery School % % 87% 81 Community School # % % 86% 197 Math Science Technology Preparatory School % 73 95% 84% 97 Harvey Austin School % 47 98% 82% 192 Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts % % 82% 195 City Honors School at 56 & % % 81% 66 North Park Middle Academy % % 78% 89 Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence % % 78% 156 Frederick Law Olmsted % % 78% 95 Waterfront Elementary School % % 77% 18 Dr. Antonia Pantoja School % % 76% 27 Hillery Park % % 74% 6 Buffalo Elementary School of Technology % % 73% 79 Pfc. William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence % % 72% 72 Lorraine Elementary % % 71% 37 Futures Academy % % 70% 45 International School@4 & % 75 91% 69% 43 Lovejoy Discovery School at # % 92 90% 67% 93 Southside Elementary School % % 67% 19 Native American Magnet School % % 66% 30 Frank A. Sedita Academy* % % 66% 31 Harriet Ross Tubman School % % 65% 69 Houghton Academy % % 65% 91 BUILD Academy % % 65% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 3

6 BEDS Count Number of Percent of Students with Number Percent of Valid School Number School Name Grades 6-8 Completed Completed Survey of Valid Valid Response Rate 32 Bennett Park % % 64% 74 Hamlin Park School % 96 93% 64% 80 Highgate Heights % % 64% 204 Lafayette High School % % 64% 39 Martin Luther King Multicultural Institute % % 62% 53 Community School # % 88 94% 60% 59 Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet % % 59% 94 West Hertel Academy % 65 84% 58% 3 D Youville Porter Campus School % 97 93% 51% 198 The International Preparatory School % 86 89% 50% 76 Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy* % 89 68% 42% 33 Bilingual Center % 30 94% 20% -- No School Listed/Inactive School % -- *Response Rates were negatively impacted by invalidated Spanish-language surveys. Total % % 76% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 4

7 Unintentional Injuries and Violence Buffalo Public School (BPS) students are very unlikely to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle, rollerblading, or skateboarding. While the percent of BPS middle school and high school students who report being bullied online is about the same, middle school students are more than twice as likely to report being bullied on school property, compared with high school students. The levels of suicide ideation and suicide attempts among BPS middle schoolers are similar to BPS high school levels (however, the high school survey asks about these topics over the past 12 months, while middle school asks about lifetime). Table 3: Percent Responses to Unintentional Injuries and Violence Statements Question Rarely or never wore a bicycle helmet (among students who had ridden a bicycle) Rarely or never wore a helmet when rollerblading or skateboarding (among students who used rollerblades or rode a skateboard) Buffalo Public Schools % 76.5% Rarely or never wore a seat belt (when riding in a car) 8.8% Rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol 11.9% Ever carried a weapon (for example, a gun, knife or club) 15.3% Ever in a physical fight 63.4% Ever hurt in a physical fight (injuries had to be treated by a doctor or nurse) 7.7% Bullied on school property 33.5% Bullied electronically (through , chat rooms, instant messaging, Web sites, or texting) 14.5% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 5

8 Question Buffalo Public Schools 2011 Ever seriously thought about killing themselves 15.0% Ever made a plan about how they would kill themselves 9.7% Ever tried to kill themselves 7.2% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 6

9 Tobacco Use Over 10% of BPS middle school students report having tried cigarettes, but fewer than 1% report being habitual smokers (smoked on 20 or more days during the 30 days prior to taking the survey). Among those who smoke, nearly 10% are able to purchase their own cigarettes. Table 4: Percent Responses to Tobacco Use Statements Question Buffalo Public Schools 2011 Ever tried cigarette smoking (even one or two puffs) 12.4% Smoked a whole cigarette for the first time before age 11 years 2.9% Smoked cigarettes on at least 1 day (during the 30 days before the survey) Smoked cigarettes on 20 or more days (during the 30 days before the survey) Smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day (among students who currently smoked cigarettes, on the days they smoked during the 30 days before the survey) Usually obtained their own cigarettes by buying them in a store or gas station (among the students who currently smoked cigarettes during the 30 days before the survey) 3.2% 0.8% 11.3% 9.5% Ever smoked at least one cigarette every day for 30 days 1.5% Used chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip on at least 1 day (during the 30 days before the survey) Smoked cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars on at least 1 day (during the 30 days before the survey) Smoked cigarettes; smoked cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars; or used chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip on at least 1 day (during the 30 days before the survey) 1.4% 2.9% 4.8% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 7

10 Alcohol and Drug Use Approximately one-quarter of BPS middle school students have consumed more than a few sips of alcohol, and nearly 10% drank alcohol for the first time before they were 11 years of age. Similar to among BPS high school students, marijuana is the most frequently used drug among BPS middle schoolers, with nearly 10% having ever used it. Reported inhalant use among BPS middle schoolers is similar to BPS high schoolers, while prescription drug use is significantly lower among BPS middle schoolers (2.2%) than among BPS high schoolers (7.4%). Table 5: Percent Responses to Alcohol and Drug Use Statements Question Buffalo Public Schools 2011 Ever drank alcohol (other than a few sips) 24.4% Drank alcohol for the first time before age 11 years (other than a few sips) 9.2% Ever used marijuana 9.5% Tried marijuana for the first time before age 11 years 1.9% Ever used any form of cocaine (for example, powder, crack, or freebase) 1.3% Ever sniffed glue, breathed the contents of aerosol spray cans, or inhaled any paints or sprays to get high 6.4% Ever used steroid pills or shots without a doctor's prescription 1.4% Ever taken a prescription drug without a doctor s prescription (such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, codeine, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax) 2.2% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 8

11 Sexual Behavior Nearly 16% of BPS middle school students report having had sexual intercourse, with nearly 5% having had sex before age 11. Almost half of those who have had sex report having had three or more partners. Among those who have had sex, 22% did not use a condom during their last sexual intercourse. Close to half of all respondents say that they did not learn about AIDS or HIV in school. Table 6: Percent Responses to Sexual Behavior Statements Question Buffalo Public Schools 2011 Ever had sexual intercourse 15.8% Had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 11 years 4.4% Had sexual intercourse with three or more persons 6.6% Did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse (among students who ever had sexual intercourse) 21.6% Were never taught in school about AIDS or HIV infection 42.4% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 9

12 Dietary Behaviors Approximately 23% of BPS middle school students describe themselves as slightly or very overweight; this is slightly below the percent of BPS high schoolers who describe themselves in the same way (27.2%). As in the BPS high school survey, BPS middle schoolers are most likely to go without eating for 24 hours or more than they are to take diet products or to vomit in order to lose weight. Table 7: Percent Responses to Dietary Behavior Statements Question Buffalo Public Schools 2011 Described themselves as slightly or very overweight 22.8% Went without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight Took diet pills, powders or liquids to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight 21.8% 3.7% Vomited or took laxatives to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight 4.0% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 10

13 Physical Activity More than 20% of BPS middle school students report that they did not engage in any vigorous physical activity during the 7 days prior to taking the survey; this is higher than the percent of BPS high schoolers (17.3%). Almost 50% of BPS middle schoolers watch 3 or more hours of television, and 34% spend 3 more hours per day on the computer. Table 8: Percent Responses to Physical Activity Statements Question Physically active at least 60 minutes per day on less than 5 days (doing any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time during the 7 days before the survey) Physically active at least 60 minutes per day on less than 7 days (doing any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time during the 7 days before the survey) Did not participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on any day (doing any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time during the 7 days before the survey) Buffalo Public Schools % 67.4% 21.0% Watched television 3 or more hours per day (on an average school day) 49.0% Used computers 3 or more hours per day (played video or computer games or used a computer for something that was not school work on an average school day) Did not attend physical education classes in an average week (when they were in school) Did not attend physical education classes daily (when they were in school) Did not play on sports teams (run by their school or community groups during the 12 months before the survey) 33.9% 7.7% 90.1% 36.8% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 11

14 Asthma Nearly one-quarter of BPS middle school students have been told they have had asthma; nearly 20% report that they still have asthma. Table 9: Percent Responses to Asthma Statements Question Buffalo Public Schools 2011 Ever told by a doctor or nurse that they had asthma 24.4% Ever told by a doctor or nurse that they had asthma and still have asthma 19.6% Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 12

15 Site-Added Questions Buffalo Public Schools added five questions to the Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The responses to the questions requesting students supply their zip codes and the cross streets nearest to their homes are not included here. (Zip code and cross-street data are available separately.) Half of respondents report that they missed between 0 and 8 days. Similar to BPS high school students, illness, transportation issues, and caring for family members are the leading reasons BPS middle schoolers report missing school. One in every five middle school students is getting 6 or fewer hours of sleep on an average night. Table 10: Number of Days Absent During Prior Academic Year Number of Responses Percent of Total Number of Responses 0-8 days % 9-17 days % days 255 5% 36 or more days 143 3% Not Sure % No Response or Missing 48 1% Total % Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 13

16 Table 11: Reasons for Absence During Prior Academic Year During the previous school year, choose the top three reasons you were absent from school. Number of Times Selected Percent of Respondents who Selected Reason Illness % Transportation Issue % Caring for family member(s) % Suspension % School work is not interesting 326 6% School feels too unsafe 164 3% Pregnant or parenting 84 2% Embarrassed about school performance 109 2% Worried about what teachers or other adults may say or do to me because of my school performance 116 2% Table 12: Average Hours of Sleep On an average school night, how many hours of sleep do you get? Number of Responses Percent of Total Number of Responses 4 or less 304 6% 5 hours 252 5% 6 hours % 7 hours % 8 hours % 9 hours % 10 or more hours % No response or missing 119 2% Total % Ciurczak & Company, Inc. Page 14