Hungry Kids in the Learning Environment

No Kid Hungry tells us that hunger affects 1 in 6 children in the United States.[1] In 2016, the federal poverty level was $24,300 for a family of four – with more than 40 million families falling below this level.[2] Of that number, more than 13 million children were part of households that were unable to provide adequate, nutritious food for their children at times during the year.[3] In this post, we will take a closer look at hunger in America and how it affects households with children in their daily lives, including what effect it has on students’ learning environment in school.

According to the Food Research & Action Center, households with children are particularly vulnerable to hunger as they experience food hardship at a rate roughly one-third higher than families without children.[4] This data was reported as part of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Survey Research where 337,690 households were asked about their food security through a simple question: “Have there been times in the past 12 months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” Not surprisingly, the nation struggled with hunger during the years of the Great Recession, but what was unexpected was the rise in these numbers from 15.1% in 2016 to 15.7% in 2017.[5]

What Is Food Insecurity?

Beginning in 2005, the USDA created a new food insecurity definition as a “household level” of uncertain or limited access to adequate nutrition or meals.[6] Marginal Food Security most often refers to either anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house, but little or no indication of change in diets or food intake.[7] Low Food Insecurity meant the household reported diminished quality, variety, or desirability of their diet, while Very Low Food Insecurity translated to reports of multiple signs of eating pattern disruption and reduced food intake because they do not have enough money to buy food.[8]

According to the USDA, Very Low Food Insecurity can be characterized by some of the following found in the Annual Food Security Survey:

99% of those surveyed reported having worried that their food would run out before they could buy more.
96% stated that an adult had cut the size of meals or skipped a meal because there wasn’t enough money for food.
88% reported that this had occurred in three or more months.
68% responded that they had been hungry but did not eat because they could not afford enough food.[9]

Hungry Children: How Does Food Insecurity Impact Learning?

Studies have shown that food insecurity can lead to physiological as well as psychological and behavioral issues. Based on a Canadian study, children who struggle with ongoing issues of hunger are more likely to have poorer health in general as well as higher odds of chronic conditions and asthma when compared with those who were never hungry.[10]

According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, 22 million children receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast Program.[11] As part of this program, breakfast consumption has been shown to have positive outcomes not only for nutrition and diet quality but also healthy weight and lifestyle.[12] Studies have also found an increase in attention following breakfast, versus with no breakfast, reflected by an increase attention and focus – a necessity for better school performance – and improved behavior during lessons.

This research suggests that children may be particularly susceptible to the positive nutritional impacts of breakfast and its effects on brain activity and related cognitive, behavioral, and academic outcomes. This study even concluded that breakfast consumption is beneficial to positive “cognitive outcomes, which were more apparent in children who are considered undernourished.”[13]

Learn More About Childhood Hunger in America

This interactive map from Feeding America allows you to dig a little deeper behind hunger in America data to see what’s going on on your community. Malnutrition and hunger are real issues going on across the U.S. and impacting children and their ability to thrive every day. Many times, children living in poverty experience bullying as a result of needing school breakfast or lunch or not having enough to eat.[14] Our student perception surveys ask about all types of risky behaviors and barriers to education including weight, body perception and school bullying. Pride Surveys has customizable questions available for most of our surveys that allow customers to ask questions on the student survey that are unique to the student population and setting where the data is gathered.

The benefit of working with a survey company is that we can gather fact-based data and information through anonymous and effective survey tools. With this information, schools, PTAs and coalitions are in a better position to secure future funding from a variety of sources.

Please feel free to browse through the different types of student surveys we offer and find out why more than 13.9 million students, parents, and faculty members have responded to Pride Surveys. Questions? Please call us today at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

[1] “Hunger Facts.” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at https://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-are/hunger-facts

[2] Ibid.

[3] “Household Food Security in the United States in 2016.” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at at https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/84973/err237_summary.pdf?v=0

[4] “How Hungry Is America? Food Hardship in America: A Look at National, Regional, State, and Metropolitan Statistical Area Data on Household Struggles With Hunger” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at http://www.frac.org/wp-content/uploads/food-hardship-july-2018.pdf

[5] Ibid.

[6] “Definitions of Food Insecurity.” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] “Child Hunger and Long-term Adverse Consequence for Health.” Retrieved 26 September at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/383613?=

[11] “BackPack Program.” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at http://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/hunger-relief-programs/backpack-program/

[12] “The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents.” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737458/

[13] Ibid.

[14] “School Lunch Shaming: A ‘Hidden’ Bully for Latino Kids.” Retrieved 26 September 2018 at https://salud-america.org/school-lunch-shaming-this-hidden-type-of-bullying-is-affecting-many-latino-kids/

Transition Happens: Handling Community Coalition Leadership Changes

You brought together stakeholders, community leaders and a core group of supporters to your cause to identify critical issues, potential coalition members, and how to meet your goals. Your first meetings were a success, data collection and funding were in progress – real change was on the horizon. Then, suddenly, it was summer and time for one team of leaders to be replaced with the newly selected group. It happens all the time with all kinds of community coalitions across the United States. So, how can you set your new leadership up for success and manage the transition? Let’s start at the beginning.

What Is a Community Coalition?

A coalition is a group of people and organizations working together to solve a problem or address a question. They focus on a variety of issues from cleaning up a local playground to planting the public garden, addressing teen homelessness to childhood hunger. Community coalitions are usually organized on the local level with parents, teachers, law enforcement, local businesses, religious leaders, health service providers, and other community activists coming together to deal with significant issues including safety, health, drug use and more.[1]

Developing community coalitions can require a significant time commitment and passion for the cause, and members may find themselves balancing coalition work against other projects in the community. This means that regime change can be helpful to allow new leaders to emerge and continue advancing past efforts. Therefore, one of the key roles of a community leader must be to mentor other leaders to manage the group in the future.[2]

Leading a Community Coalition

Buy-in for new leaders is essential to the group’s success, so where do you start? Communicate with your partners. There are big questions to ask and answer together: how will you transition from the former leaders and their style to move forward? How will the new team work together? Where will you need to focus your energy to achieve your goals?

Leading groups of people is perhaps one of the most demanding undertakings; You must learn to work with different talents, abilities, passions, and connection to address the issue you are trying to tackle. Cooperation is often the key to success. If you are part of past community coalition leadership and want to continue to help, it’s important to listen to what the new leaders have to say. Working together, your coalition team can set aside any turf wars, status ranking, and power struggles to benefit everyone concerned.[3]

If you are a new coalition leader, talk to people in the trenches; their thoughts and opinions are essential. Don’t forget that people are also more likely to participate and contribute ideas if they feel they’re being heard.

Working closely with valuable partners can help collect the information needed to get started – but don’t forget to gather hard statistics and facts as supportive data reporting for funding and grants. One of the best ways to obtain this valuable information is through a professional school survey company. Once armed with facts, coalitions may find multiple ways to put this useful data to use. For more than 35 years, Pride Surveys has been utilizing scientifically valid surveys to help community coalitions develop their next steps.

Developing Future Community Coalition Leadership

A plan for the future is essential. Community leaders must think ahead to recruit, train, mentor and support future trailblazers.[4] This forward-thinking method builds a legacy for the success of the organization and advances progress towards your goals. Encouraging others to take a chance on a leadership role in your organization is a healthy means of growth.[5] Strong leaders will always cultivate a group of individuals that can work together to achieve a coalition’s goals – and seek out the next generation of leaders among them.[6]

Transition and change are aren’t always smooth. They both require patience, flexibility, and a little boldness to see the path forward. This is true at the beginning of the year or any time leadership changes occur for an established community coalition – or as founders transition out of first-year coalitions.

Survey results can offer insights into the intersection of risk and academic success including the bullying, the learning environment, and school climate. The benefit of working with a survey company for community coalitions is that we can gather necessary information through anonymous and effective survey tools to go beyond subjective information to fact-backed data. With this information, coalitions are in a better position to secure future funding from a variety of sources.

Please feel free to browse through the different types of scalable student surveys we offer and find out why more than 13.9 million students, parents, and faculty members have responded to Pride Surveys. Questions? Please call us today at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

[1] “Start a Coalition.” Retrieved 27 August 2018 at https://www.cadca.org/start-coalition

[2] “Learning How to Be a Community Leader.” Retrieved 27 August 2018 at https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-functions/become-community-leader/main

[3] Ibid

[4] “Learning How to Be a Community Leader.” Retrieved 27 August 2018 at https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-functions/become-community-leader/main

[5] “On Becoming a Community Leader: Building Relationships and Creating Communities.” Retrieved 27 August 2018 at https://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/10/on-becoming-a-leader-building-relationships-and-creating-communities

[6] Ibid.

Start the School Year Right: Conversations to Have with Your Kids Now

A new school term can be difficult: there are different schedules, classes, teachers, schools, friends, and expectations. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 8% of children and adolescents have an anxiety disorder – and it can be prompted by big life events like back-to-school season.[1] But lots of kids feel a little nervous at the beginning of a new school year or after a long break. So, how can parents have helpful conversations with their children this time of year? We’ve got a few ideas from a variety of school surveys, reports and experts.

Online Safety, Bullying and Social Media

We’ve talked before about the impact of screen time and phone use on kids, but let’s dig a little deeper into safety and cyberbullying. It’s important to talk about safe Internet use and set very clear boundaries. Teens and tweens must be taught to protect their own online safety[2]. For example:

• Don’t share your password with anyone
• Do ask permission before joining social networks or online groups
• Don’t meet with anyone you’ve met online
• Don’t give personal information including phone number, address, email, school or photos to people you don’t already know in real life and very well.
• Don’t respond to hateful or hurtful messages
• Do share cruel and upsetting messages with your parents

Cyberbullying isn’t limited to negative interactions or hurtful messages on social media platforms.[3] It can also involve things like impersonation, where one student posts comments pretending to be another, or “fraping,” using a Facebook account without permission to delete comments or pictures, or create new and offensive ones pretending to be you.[4] Both are designed to make kids look bad to their friends and feel isolated. Social isolation and emotional climate at school have an impact on student success and academic achievement.

How You’ll Monitor Homework

“Let your child know that schoolwork is an important part of their education, so it has to be done. It helps absorb the information and prepare for the next day’s lessons. Remind them you’re there to help and support them through any struggles, but homework has to be done.”
— Anastasia, Teacher, Michigan

The Risks of Experimentation with Alcohol, Drugs or Tobacco

Talk openly with your children about the negatives of alcohol at their age and the positives of not experimenting. Knowing that kids may find themselves in situations with risky behaviors, it’s crucial to go over the basics of never drinking and driving – or getting into a car with someone who has been using.

The use of e-cigarettes among adolescents is rising and can be linked to the use of other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, according to a 2016 report from the U.S. Surgeon General.[5] Because most tobacco use is established during youth, actions to prevent a lifetime of nicotine addiction among our nation’s youth are essential.[6]

We know from previous posts that talking with kids about drugs and drug use won’t inspire them to start using. Parents can make a difference by setting clear rules for their children. Our surveys show that students whose parents set clear rules about drugs are less likely to use. Not sure where to start? This article may give you some insights into asking the questions you need to ask including how to make them part of general health and safety conversations.[7]

Sometimes New Transitions Are Difficult

“Starting a new school year with new responsibilities piles on the stress. They have to make new friends, take on new responsibilities for doing their school work independently, they have to learn how their new teacher works, etc. I’m trying to let them know I understand how tough it all is. We talk about the worst part of the day, and then the best part. I try to reinforce that time will make things better.”
— Marion, Mom in Indiana

Talk with Kids About Safe Relationships and Sex

Not talking about healthy relationships with your children can be unsafe. No matter your opinion on abstinence or sex education, it’s essential to have conversations related to physical safety. Teen dating violence impacts 1.5 million high school students every year.[8] One in ten high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.[9]

The 2017 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Study revealed that of the 13% of ninth-graders who were sexually active that year, only about half said they used a condom in their last sexual encounter. Only about 14% used some other form of contraception.[10] This report also indicates that more than 15% of girls experienced sexual violence by someone who forced her to do sexual things or have intercourse, and nearly 11% of those girls experienced sexual dating violence with someone they were going out with or dating in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Asking these questions isn’t easy. We know; we ask tough questions of students, parents, and educators every day in schools across the United States. Through the Pride Learning Environment Survey, a student evaluation tool for grades 6-12, we can offer insights into the intersection of risk and academic success in the education setting. Its efficient examination of current issues facing educators and education gives hard data through student questionnaires.

Our Social, Emotional and Bullying Behavior Survey is a middle school student survey that assesses bullying perceptions and problem behaviors that impact student engagement. Using SEBBS, schools can determine underlying causes of increased absenteeism, lower academic achievement, and increased substance abuse such as violence, bullying and cyberbullying.

The benefit of choosing a survey company is that we can ask the difficult questions. Please browse the different types of scalable student surveys we offer and find out why more than 13.9 million students, parents, and faculty members have responded to Pride Surveys. Questions about our school climate surveys? Please call us today at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

[1] “Anxiety Fact Sheet.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/resilience/Pages/Anxiety-Fact-Sheet.aspx

[2] “Keeping Your Child Safe on the Internet.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://www.parenting.com/article/keeping-your-child-safe-on-the-internet

[3] “10 Forms of Cyberbullying.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://kids.kaspersky.com/10-forms-of-cyberbullying/

[4] “Fraping, Social Norms and Online Representations of Self” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216303697

[5] “E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/2016_sgr_full_report_non-508.pdf

[6] Ibid.

[7] “Talking to Your Child About Drugs.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/talk-about-drugs.html

[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Physical Dating Violence Among High School Students—United States, 2003.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5519a3.htm.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “High School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

United States 2017 Results.” Retrieved 24 August 2018 at https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/Results.aspx?LID=XX

How Can Communities and Community Coalitions Engage with Education?

A public school is at the core of its neighborhood, bringing together families, students, educators, and community partners to provide education, enrichment, and opportunities to learn and thrive. Community-based coalitions offer neighborhoods the chance to combine and leverage resources from multiple and diverse sources in furtherance of these goals. Well-implemented school and community partnership programs have numerous benefits including increased “student attendance, higher achievement and report-card grades, a sense of greater security, fewer behavioral problems, and an increase in positive attitudes about school and homework.”[1]

So, how can communities, coalitions, and schools begin to work together to enhance the learning environment and remove barriers to education? Let’s focus on breaking down obstacles, involving parents, and developing communication and engagement.

Building partnerships by breaking down silos

As they bring together different parts of the community, coalitions can work effectively to develop a comprehensive solution to emerging substance abuse problems, among other issues.[2] Throughout the US, community coalitions make a significant impact as they change the way that communities can respond to risky behaviors including illegal drugs, alcohol abuse, and tobacco use.[3]

Coalition building requires expertise and understanding to bring the community together, build consensus, and pursue common goals. It may also require breaking down the existing silos of who is responsible for what area to rebuild them in more effective ways. By working together, school communities and coalitions can build partnerships to identify the most critical needs and pursue meaningful policies to address them. As they mobilize the appropriate resources around a specific goal, together these two groups can coordinate services and limit duplication of parallel efforts.[4]

Increasing parent involvement

Coalitions can engage parents by effectively demonstrating how their increased school involvement can make the community a healthier, safer place for everyone.[5] It’s important to understand though that parents may sidestep getting involved only because they haven’t been a part of a group before. This unfamiliarity may cause anxiety as they begin attending neighborhood meetings – they may wonder if they will be welcome, how they can help, and what will be expected of them. Being very clear about what will happen at the meetings, what their role will be, and what level of involvement is expected will help allay those fears. Consider developing a list of frequently asked questions that can be reviewed before and after any meetings.

It can be easy to point to indifference or a lack of motivation for low levels of participation. Before getting frustrated, ask yourself what obstacles could be inhibiting involvement from the community. Are parents and educators aware of opportunities to be involved in the community? Have participation barriers such as transportation, meeting timing and clarity of purpose been addressed? If not, developing clear expectations and healthy communication is essential.

Developing robust communication

Coalitions bring together an inherently diverse group of people as they explore and develop needs, actions, and public support to impact the community on a larger scale.[6] This may lead to communications challenges as each person comes in with different expectations, styles, and tools to get their message across.

To alleviate any issues, make sure you are always open and friendly in communications and straightforward when answering questions to help build trust. Parents, students, educators, and administrators may have anecdotal information to share to help point everyone in the right direction to address issues, so it’s important to create a safe space to share.

Gathering data to support your cause

As with many things, knowledge is power when it comes to solving the significant problems in a school or community, so it’s important to ask questions. However, anecdotal evidence may not be enough when applying for funding to address these issues. Data from scientifically valid surveys can help develop specific next steps. One of the best ways to obtain this valuable information is through a professional school survey company. Once armed with data, schools and coalitions may find that evidence-based information can be used in multiple ways including press releases, workshops and seminars, public service announcements, grant applications and more.

Survey results can offer insights into the intersection of risk and academic success including the learning environment and school climate. The benefit of working with a survey company is that they can anonymously and effectively ask the difficult questions through a variety of survey tools.

Please browse through the different types of scalable student surveys we offer and find out why more than 13.9 million students, parents, and faculty members have responded to Pride Surveys. Questions? Please call us today at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

[1] “What are the benefits of family and community connections?” Retrieved 27 July 2018 at https://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/familycommunity/index_sub4.html

[2] “Handbook for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions.” Retrieved 27 July 2018 at https://www.cadca.org/sites/default/files/files/coalitionhandbook102013.pdf

[3] “Handbook for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions.” Retrieved 27 July 2018 at https://www.cadca.org/sites/default/files/files/coalitionhandbook102013.pdf

[4] “Coalitions for Impacting the Health of a Community: The Summit County, Ohio, Experience” Retrieved 27 July 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3806371/

[5] “The 3 Most Effective Tools for Community Engagement.” Retrieved 27 July 2018 at http://www.help4nonprofits.com/NP_Mktg_3EffectiveTools_Article.htm

[6] “Community coalitions for prevention and health promotion.” Retrieved 27 July 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10146473

Teens & Tobacco: Use, Perceptions, and Prevention

The CDC tells us there is no safe form of tobacco use for adolescents, but more than 3,000 young people still start smoking each day.[1] While we’ve made progress in reducing smoking among teens, far too many young people are still using tobacco causing both immediate and long-term damage. Let’s talk about tobacco and teens and learning more about youth smoking through survey data.

Teen Tobacco Use in the US

Because tobacco use is still established primarily during adolescence – nearly 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers first tried smoking by age 18, and 98% first tried smoking by age 26[2] –prevention of tobacco use among teens is vital to ending smoking in America.

In 2015, 25% of high school students and 7% of middle school students had used a tobacco product.[3] The most common forms of tobacco use among high school students then were e-cigarettes (16%) and cigarettes (9%).[4] From 2011 to 2015, there were significant increases in e-cigarette use among middle and high school students with nearly 4 out of every 100 middle school students reporting using an e-cigarette in the last 30 days and 11 out of 100 high school students doing the same. Given these numbers, it’s important to educate students that any exposure to nicotine is dangerous and ramp up education programs to include all forms of tobacco as different products emerge.

Our Pride Surveys Questionnaire for Grades 6-12 Standard Report from 2016-17 revealed that while more than 94% of students in 6^th-12^th grade had not smoked cigarettes in the last 30 days, 4% still used tobacco every week.[5] In this same report, 66% of students said their friends never use tobacco while 6% said they use tobacco a lot.[6] These numbers indicate that it is important to examine the use of tobacco products by students and increase education about the dangers of smoking beginning in middle school, if not before.

Teen Smoking Prevention

The younger that teens are when they start using tobacco, the more likely they are to become addicted. Addiction to nicotine leads to the prolonged use of tobacco and to potentially severe health consequences.

Ongoing efforts to implement proven teen smoking prevention strategies are essential to prevent teen use of tobacco products. And, while they are decreasing, overall rates of teen tobacco use remain too high; if current tobacco use persists, an estimated 5.6 million of today’s teens could eventually die prematurely from a smoking-related disorder.[7] Learning about smoking prevention and helping teens quit is fundamental to parents, educators, and communities.

The Mayo Clinic has several suggestions on keeping teens smoke-free including how to combat peer pressure, talking about addiction to nicotine, or adding up the expense of cigarettes over time. Doing the math can be enlightening: smoking a pack a day costs upwards of $2000 per year. That’s a lot of cash that could be better spent in so many ways. Remember to think beyond cigarettes to include e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, and hookahs as you have these conversations – they’re just as harmful and preventable.

Setting a good example for teens is also essential when it comes to preventing smoking. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Not only does it improve your lung, heart, and brain function, your sense of smell and taste can return to normal in just a few days. If you need help quitting smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Pride Surveys developed its Risk and Protective Factor (RPF) student perception survey, a hybrid version of the Communities That Care (CTC) Youth Survey and the Pride Questionnaire for Grades 6 to 12 to measure the factors that show the strongest correlation to illicit substance use. This four-page survey contains the updated Core Measures required by SAMHSA for their Drug-Free Communities Grant, and community coalitions and other grantees can use this survey to provide data for funding.

For more than thirty years, Pride Surveys has been helping schools collect data on teen substance abuse perceptions and drug use trends in their communities through scalable survey products. We offer multiple drug-free community survey options as well as student risk perception surveys designed to help assess teen substance abuse and risk, including our student surveys for grades 4-6, grades 6-12, and our supplemental surveys like the Drug-Free Community Survey Supplement. Please contact us online or call (800) 279-6361 for more information.

[1] “Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction.” Retrieved 12 December, 2017 at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00026213.htm

[2] “2014 Surgeon General’s Report: The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress.” Retrieved 25 June 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm

[3] “Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2015.” Retrieved 25 June 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6514a1.htm

[4] Ibid.

[5] “Pride Surveys Questionnaire for Grades 6-12 Standard Report 2016-17.”

[6] Ibid.

[7] “2014 Surgeon General’s Report: The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress.” Retrieved 25 June 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm

Risky Student Behaviors and Academic Achievement

Risk-taking declines between adolescence and adulthood, but the high school years remain a time of increased susceptibility to risky and reckless behavior.[1] What is the relationship between these behaviors and academic success? Not surprisingly, it isn’t good, but there is some fascinating research being done on the subject and tremendous data to be collected to learn more.

Teens & Risk Factors to Academic Success

As part of their Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), the CDC identifies the following as risky student health behaviors: alcohol and drug use, sexual risk behaviors and violence, teen pregnancy, tobacco use, and youth violence. A recent study published in the American Journal of Health Economics looked at the correlation between some of these behaviors (specifically drinking, smoking, and marijuana use) and stringent math and science high-school graduation requirements.[2] Their results suggest that a demanding curriculum could be a potential tool to curb alcohol consumption among high-school students, especially males and non-white students.[3]

In our own Risk and Protective Factor Student Perception Survey, Pride Surveys has crafted a questionnaire with one of the original authors of the communities that care youth survey to measure the most significant risk and protective factors related to impactful youth behaviors. It’s a hybrid of two of our other student surveys, Communities That Care (CTC) Youth Survey and the Pride Questionnaire for Grades 6 to 12, and asks about the incidence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use for both the last 30 days and lifetime data including:

Where alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use occurred
When alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use occurred
Perceived availability of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
Perceived risk of drugs
Perception of friends’ disapproval and parents’ disapproval

Results from the 2015-16 Pride Surveys Questionnaire for Grades 6-12 revealed that 40% of students who responded that they never make good grades also used an illicit drug. By contrast, only 11.4% of those who make good grades “a lot” reported using an illicit drug. 52.9% of respondents who stated that they get in trouble at school “a lot” reported using an illicit drug. Of those that never get into trouble at school, 11.6% use an illicit drug.

Why Do Teens Engage in Risky Behaviors?

In The Power of the Adolescent Brain, author Thomas Armstrong explains that around the age of 15, teens can make decisions as competently as adults except when they’re with their peers, experiencing emotional overstimulation, or under social pressure.[4] In those situations, their decision-making skills become less reliable. Is this related to the concept that the reward center of the brain motivates and controls teenage behaviors? Perhaps. Because the decision-making portion of the brain isn’t fully developed until about the age of 25, teens can sometimes struggle to make good decisions as their brain continues to mature.[5] Before this information came to light though, it was believed that raging hormones ran a teen’s life through their adolescent years. Now there is new research by Dr. Dan Romer at the University of Pennsylvania suggesting that, instead, teenagers may be wired to seek out risk to gain experience.[6] Dr. Romer argues that risk-seeking would be significantly more common if brain function were to blame and that some teens make risky choices simply to gain experience. In other words, their main job during adolescence is to discover where they fit in the world through exploration and experimentation.

Bad Outcomes from Teen Behavior

One study connected early sexual activity and alcohol use with “bad adult outcomes” finding that the earlier a teen engages in an activity, the more likely that teen is to face consequences of the behavior as an adult including alcoholism.[7] Another study found that healthy eating and participating in team sports had a positive impact on academic outcomes for students while the effects of “alcohol use, smoking, early sexual intercourse, bullying, and certain screen time behaviors were overall negative.”[8]

It has also recently been suggested that sleep habits among teens are a negative factor in their academic performance. Researchers found that lack of sleep on the weekend combined with early mornings for school easily led to a detrimental accumulation of sleep debt during the school week.[9] As a result, sleeplessness is now being cited as a risk factor that can lead to and poor school performance.[10] Many have suggested that school start times should be adjusted to better suit the adolescent brain – with some benefit to the faculty and staff as well, certainly.

The behavior of teenagers is complex, and it’s important to understand the whys and hows so we can help prepare them for the future and keep them away from serious risk. The benefit of working with a survey company to find out these answers is that we can anonymously and effectively ask the difficult questions through multiple survey tools. Survey results can offer insights into the intersection of risk and academic success including the learning environment and school climate.

[1] “A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2396566/

[2] “The Effects of Graduation Requirements on Risky Health Behaviors of High School Students.” Retrieved 28 ay 2018 at https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/ajhe_a_00112

[3] Ibid.

[4] “Power of the Adolescent Brain.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/116017/chapters/The-Amazing-Adolescent-Brain.aspx

[5] “Understanding the Teen Brain.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051

[6] “Why Teens Take Risks: It’s Not a Deficit in Brain Development.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/why-teens-take-risks-its-not-a-deficit-in-brain-development/

[7] “Long-Term Impact of Adolescent Risky Behaviors and Family Environment.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at https://aspe.hhs.gov/execsum/long-term-impact-adolescent-risky-behaviors-and-family-environment

[8] “The Effects of Adolescent Health-Related Behavior in Academic Performance.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0034654313518441?journalCode=rera

[9] “Sleep Habits, academic performance, and the adolescent brain structure.” Retrieved 28 May 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5299428/

[10] Ibid.

Shedding Light on The Darkness – Adolescent Suicide

Guest Post from Jumo Health

When we talk about health, it’s important to remember that not all pain is physical and not all wounds are visible. Mental health is just as important as physical health. In fact, the two are parallel. The entire body relies on a healthy mental well-being to function properly.

Since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Month.

Individuals and organizations across the world join together to spread awareness about mental health in the effort to break the stigma that often surrounds the topic. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, stigma has been characterized as quite possibly the biggest barrier to mental health care. This stigma prevents itself as stereotypes or negative beliefs toward mental illness, including perceptions that people with mental illnesses are different, crazy, or even dangerous.

Mental Health Awareness Month is a proactive way to stay involved in the conversation surrounding mental health. It’s critical to raise awareness and educate others to reduce misconceptions and shaming regarding mental health. If done right, the conversations that we facilitate have the potential to save lives.

The relationship between mental health and suicide is remarkably important, especially amongst adolescents. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34. Not everyone with a mental illness has attempted suicide. However, over 90 percent of those who have died from suicide have been diagnosed with a mental illness, usually depression.

In the 2016 Pride Survey national database nearly one hundred thousand students in grades six through 12 were asked if they had thought about suicide and 11.6 percent of students in grades 6-8 and 17.4 percent of 9^th through 12th graders responded that they had thought about committing suicide sometimes, often or a lot.

The data also show a strong correlation between suicide and substance use and abuse with those who think about suicide twice to three times as likely to have used alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and meth. Some things that can contribute to thoughts of suicide are addiction, harassment, and difficult family situations which can all lead to depression and feelings of helplessness in teens and youth.

How can you help a teen struggling with mental illness?

Being diagnosed with a mental illness can be scary and overwhelming, but it’s important for teens to know that help is always available. Therapy, medication, and support groups are great resources to utilize to combat through tough emotional times.

You can visit Psychology Today to find a local therapist and filter through categories such as insurances, diagnoses, gender, and age. Or, if the need for help is an urgent matter, teens can text “TEEN” to 839863 between 6:00 – 9:00 pm PST to speak to others their age in order to work through problems on a more relatable basis.

In addition, Jumo Health, a health education resource for kids and families, is an excellent resource for anyone looking to become better educated on mental illness. Not sure where to start? There is a depression discussion guide available that provides questions designed to help guide conversation with a doctor after a diagnosis.

While knowing national statistics about children’s mental health is certainly helpful, having accurate, actionable data from within your community can be even more impactful. At Pride Surveys, we have been helping schools and coalitions collect meaningful data about youth in their communities for over thirty years. We offer a range of different survey products covering mental health as well as substance abuse, school climate, bullying, and more. Questions? Please call Pride Surveys today at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

References:

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brick-brick/201405/the-stigma-mental-illness-is-making-us-sicker

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml

https://suicideprevention.ca/the-relationship-between-suicide-and-mental-health/

Bullying in the Learning Environment

Bullying in school isn’t anything new, but it does seem that students today are faced with a more challenging learning environment with increased anxiety, stress, and risk. So, let’s talk about bullying and the impact it can have on learning, our schools, and our kids.

Bullying Statistics in the Learning Environment

Physical and mental health issues related to bullying in schools are significant concerns facing today’s students. In 2015, 20% of students reported being bullied.[1] As reported in Pride Surveys’ 2015-2016 national data set, nearly 21% of middle school students and 21% of high school students reported threatening to harm another student. Related points from the same data set showed that 5% of 6th through 8th-grade students “think of suicide often or a lot,” with the corresponding percentage jumping to 8% for students in 9th-12th grade. Research suggests there is a connection between suicidal thoughts and behaviors for both the bully and bullied suggesting that both perpetrator and target are at particularly high risk for psychological distress.[2] That makes for a challenging school environment for everyone.

More recent figures on bullying do reflect a downward trend from 2005 when 28% of students reported being bullied.[3] The focus on talking about, standing up to and ending bullying is having an impact, but the 34% of self-identified gay, lesbian, or bisexual students who reported in 2015 they had been bullied on school property during the previous 12 months, may question if it’s getting any better for them.[4]

Bullies often focus on children who are different in some way: LGBT youth, kids with disabilities or socially isolated children may be at an increased risk of being bullied. Children who are underweight or overweight can also be targets. Recent studies show that students on the autism spectrum can be targets.[5] Students who experience bullying are at heightened risk for “poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression.”[6]

Safety is essential for productive learning. When children feel unsafe in school, there are implications not only for those schools but also in their neighborhoods and communities. The probability of increased involvement in risky behaviors because kids feel unsafe warrants an urgent and carefully-planned course of action.[7] In 2015, about 5% of students ages 12–18 reported that they avoided at least one school activity or class or a place in school during the previous school year because they thought someone might harass, assault or abuse them.[8]

Types of Bullying

There are four types of bullying: verbal, physical, social and cyberbullying. Social bullying deliberately excludes someone from the group or uses manipulation of higher social standing to lower someone else’s. Cyberbullying has rapidly emerged in the internet age as a means of aggression via social media, texts or chats to threaten and harass. While physical and verbal bullying are more overt, social bullying and cyberbullying can often be nearly invisible.[9]

Peer Bullying Intervention

Teachers and administrators frequently find out about bullying when it can seem too late – after the abuse has intensified to a distressing level. However, initiatives to intervene or prevent bullying behaviors can help the learning environment to be safer. In fact, school-based anti-bullying programs can decrease incidents by up to 25%.[10] Bystanders can make a difference in bullying: studies have shown that having a peer intervene on behalf of the student being bullied can stop 57% of situations.[11] Students report that support from their peers such as helping him or her get away, giving advice, or spending time talking were helpful actions.[12] This data indicates teaching students to help one another can have as much or more of an impact than educators and administrators intervening when it comes to stopping bullying behaviors and safeguarding the learning environment.

Research has indicated that discrimination and prejudice can be countered when educational environments incorporate more understanding, critical thinking, and positive self-esteem in students. Educators that foster thoughtful conversations about respect and tolerance every day in school can create more inclusive, respectful classrooms.[13] The Anti-Defamation League offers resources for educators on creating an anti-bias school setting.

What Can You Do if You Think Bullying is Negatively Impacting Your Learning Environment?

So, if you believe bullying is impacting learning in your school, what can you do? Since 1980, Pride Surveys has been providing research-quality data that can be easily used by educators, parents, and others at the school and community level to study and monitor violent, threatening, and bullying behaviors, and student mental health. We offer four different scientifically proven student surveys that are designed to measure various aspects of student behavior and perceptions related to bullying, mental health, and more.

The Pride Learning Environment Survey is highly-recommended as a student evaluation tool for grades 6-12 because of its effective examination of current issues facing educators and education. These surveys results give insight into the intersection of risk and academic success in the education setting. In fact, Pride Surveys’ learning environment questionnaire has been included in the School Climate Survey Compendium of the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments as a valid instrument to assist educators in identifying and assessing their conditions for learning conditions. It’s also one of the National Outcomes Measurement System items required as benchmarks for many grant awards.

Our Social, Emotional and Bullying Behavior Survey collects data that assess middle school students’ bullying perceptions and problem behaviors that affect student engagement. Using SEBBS, schools can determine underlying causes for increased absenteeism, lower academic achievement, and increased substance abuse.

The benefit of choosing a survey company is that we take the guesswork out of the surveying process to ask the difficult questions. Browse the different types of scalable student surveys we offer and find out why more than 13.9 million students, parents, and faculty members have responded to Pride Surveys. Questions? Please call us today at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

[1] “Student Reports of Bullying: Results from the 2015 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017015

[2] “Understanding the Link Between Bullying and Suicide.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://theconversation.com/understanding-the-link-between-bullying-and-suicide-39037

[3] “New Data Show a Decline in School=based Bullying.” Retrieved 21 May at https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-data-show-decline-school-based-bullying

[4] “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017064.pdf

[5] “Are You an Easy Target for Bullies?” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201301/are-you-easy-target-bullies

[6] “Understanding Bullying.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying_factsheet.pdf

[7] “Students Feeling Unsafe in School: Fifth Graders’ Experiences.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103144/

[8] “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017064.pdf

[9] “Creating Control: Managing Bullying in the Classroom.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://online.concordia.edu/education/bullying-in-the-classroom/

[10] “Student Bullying: Overview of Research, Federal Initiatives, and Legal Issues.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43254.pdf

[11] “Naturalistic Observations of Peer Interventions in Bullying.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at http://bullylab.com/Portals/0/Naturalistic%20observations%20of%20peer%20interventions%20in%20bullying.pdf

[12] “The Youth Voice Project.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at http://njbullying.org/documents/YVPMarch2010.pdf

[13] Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Environment.” Retrieved 21 May 2018 at https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/creating-an-anti-bias-learning-environment

Portrayals of Mental Health, Binge-Drinking, and Addiction in TV & Movies: How Does It Impact Our Kids?

Portrayals of addiction and mental illness are rampant in the movies and on TV with some 83% of Hollywood blockbusters depicting alcohol use.[1] And, because both mental illness and addiction affect millions of Americans, it is a very relatable topic. But do portrayals of alcohol and drug use on film lead kids to abuse these substances? Do teens see accurate representations of mental illness in the media – or is Hollywood creating unrealistic depictions?

More than 20% of American teens are affected by a mental disorder that causes them to have difficulty functioning, according to a NIMH survey published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.[2]

• 11% reported feeling severely impaired by depression or bipolar disorder
• 10% reported being severely impaired by a behavior disorder such as ADHD
• 8% reported feeling severely impaired by at least one type of anxiety disorder
• The median age of onset was earliest for anxiety (6 years), followed by 11 years for behavior, 13 years for mood, and 15 years for substance use disorders.[3]

As reported in our 2015-2016 national data set, 21% of middle school students and 21% of high school students reported threatening to harm another student. The same data set showed that 5% of 6th-8th-grade students “think of suicide often or a lot,” jumping to 8% for students in 9th-12th grade.

It’s no surprise that teens pick up behaviors from peers, parents or even characters on the screen. Are their attitudes also being shaped by these depictions? In a 2014 study published by the American Association of Pediatrics, several researchers investigated whether exposure to alcohol consumption in movies inspired low-risk adolescents to drink alcohol. After surveying more than 2000 youths, they concluded that there is an association between exposure to depictions of alcohol consumption and increased relative risk for trying alcohol.[4] Teens and college students are the largest consumers of movies, so are they also getting ideas there to consume alcohol?[5] According to The Animal House Effect, a study about how university-themed comedies affect student attitudes about drinking, viewing these types of films does increase positive attitudes about drinking and negative attitudes about academics.[6]

Watching movies can also impact binge-drinking behaviors. Teens who see a high number of films featuring alcohol are twice as likely to start drinking over those who view the fewest. These teens were also 63% more likely to advance to binge drinking – consuming five or more drinks in a row.[7]

Stigma is still very much attached to individuals coping with these issues. National surveys have revealed that many Americans are unwilling to work with someone with mental illness or substance problems or have them as a neighbor. And, more than half of those surveyed believe that people with alcohol and drug addiction or schizophrenia are likely to be violent toward others.[8] So, what we show our teens matters more than ever to begin to break the cycle of shame and misconception.

In a study published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, researchers found that negative portrayals of untreated mental illness and addiction increase social stigma. However, positive portrayals led to “less desire for social distance, greater belief in the effectiveness of treatment, and less willingness to discriminate against persons with these conditions.”[9] This indicates that mass media can be a resource and source of inspiration when it comes to encouraging teens struggling with these issues to seek out counseling or help with recovery.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has compiled a list of films where mental illness is shown realistically. These nine films can help create conversations with teens to build understanding and comfort around mental health discussions. DrugRehab.com has also shared a list of TV shows and movies they feel can be helpful for people in recovery – and for those who want a better understanding of what facing addiction and recovery really looks like.

Through Pride Surveys’ Social, Emotional and Bullying Behavior Survey and Risk and Protective Factor Survey, schools can learn more about mental health issues or concerns, or drug use among their students. These surveys serve as opportunities to collect data on underlying causes of issues such as absenteeism, lower academic achievement, and increased substance abuse. The benefit of choosing a survey company is that we take the guesswork out of the surveying process to ask the difficult questions. Browse the different types of scalable student surveys we offer and find out why more than 13.9 million students, parents, and faculty members have responded to Pride Surveys. Questions? Give us a call at 800-279-6361 or fill out our quick online contact form.

[1] Youth Exposure to Alcohol Use and Brand Appearances in Popular Contemporary Movies.” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3541777/

[2] “Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Study-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A).” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2946114/

[3] Ibid

[4] Portrayal of Alcohol Consumption in Movies and Drinking Initiation in Low-Risk Adolescents.” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/133/6/973#ref-6

[5] “Theatrical Marketing Statistics.” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2016_Final-1.pdf

[6] “The Animal House effect: How university-themed comedy films affect students’ attitudes.” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11218-011-9167-x

[7] “Alcohol in Movies Influences Young Teen Habits/” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/news/2012/02/23_sargent.shtml

[8] “Public Stigma of Mental Illness in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review.” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835659/

[9] “Portraying mental illness and drug addiction as treatable health conditions: Effects of a randomized experiment on stigma and discrimination.” Retrieved 26 April, 2018 at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614007990?via%3Dihub