The Washington State Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) is administered in schools statewide every two years to collect data from students about their alcohol and other drug use, and other behaviors that impact their health, safety and success. This data is analyzed and used to track trends and prioritize prevention resources. The 2012 HYS data show that:
- More than 115,000 students ages 12-17 use alcohol regularly.
- Nearly one in five 12th graders (19%) said they have been drunk or high at school.
- About one in five students rode in a car with a driver who had been drinking.
- Marijuana use among 10th graders (19%) and 12th graders (27%) is almost double the percentage who smoke cigarettes.
- Over 100,000 students (12-17 year olds) seriously considered suicide in the past year (about one in every six students).
The good news is that prevention programs are helping youth make healthy choices and encouraging parents to support these choices:
- From 2010 to 2012, 11,000 fewer youth in Washington drank alcohol.
- Since 1998, drinking among 8th and 10th graders has dropped by half, and use among 6th graders has dropped from 14% to 2.5%.
- More students report that their parents talk with them about the risks of using alcohol and other drugs.
While these results are very promising, there is much more work to be done. The need for prevention programs is also identified through Risk and Protection Profiles for Washington communities, developed by the DSHS Division of Research and Data Analysis.