Survey reveals middle-schoolers’ behaviors regarding sex, drugs and depression

By Barbara Sherman

The Sherwood Gazette, Oct 26, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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Sherwood middle school students and 11th-graders provided some really eye-opening responses to questions asked about substance abuse, attitudes, harassment, sexual activity and other issues through the 2008-09 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey, and Sherwood School District counselors discussed their answers with the Sherwood School Board at its Sept. 29 work session.

Kate Kuitert, Laurel Ridge Middle School counselor, presented some of the findings, which also were in the board’s packet.

A sampling of the answers, which were voluntary on the part of students who chose to participate in the study, is listed below:

n At the middle school level, with 187 females and 136 males responding, 18.2 percent of the kids said that they had drunk alcohol in the past 30 days, and 30.1 percent said that they had their first drink before the age of 13.

n While the use of marijuana and other drugs was reported to be low, high percentages of students said they believed people were not harming themselves by smoking one or more packs of cigarette per day (12.7 percent), trying marijuana once or twice (49.8 percent), smoking marijuana regularly (19.7 percent) or drinking one or two alcoholic drinks daily (32.7 percent).

n Kids did report strong parental pressure against them drinking alcohol regularly (89.5 percent), smoking cigarettes (98.7 percent) or smoking marijuana (96.7 percent).

n Small percentages of students reported being harassed, while 18.6 percent reported considering suicide in the past 12 months.

n Concerning sexual activity, 85.7 percent said they had never had sexual intercourse. For those who reported ever having sexual intercourse, 25.7 said they had used alcohol or drugs at the last incidence. And 65.7 percent said they had used a condom at the last incidence, while 73.3 percent said they used birth control.

n Other questions involved weight, nutrition, physical activity and health care access.

n For the 59 female and 66 male 11th-graders who responded, 5.1 percent said they smoked cigarettes once or more and 4.3 percent said they used some form of smokeless tobacco in the last 30 days.

n On alcohol use, 35 percent said they had had a drink within the last 30 days, 17.2 percent said they had five or more drinks of alcohol within a period of a couple hours during the last 30 days, and 14.7 percent said they had their first drink before the age of 13.

n As for marijuana or hashish use within the past 30 days, 15.1 percent said they had done so; 2.2 percent said they had used inhalants during that period, and 3.3 percent said they had used other drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, Ecstasy or hallucinogens.

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