Survey Finds Drinking, Bullying Down Among Watertown's Youth

The following release was sent out by the Watertown Youth Coalition:

Watertown Middle and High school students are drinking less alcohol these days and bullying is down, according to the 2011 Well Being of Watertown Youth Report. Since 1998, the Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) in collaboration with Watertown Middle and High Schools has administered the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to identify “risky” behaviors that compromise the health and well being of Watertown youth.

The risky behaviors that the survey looks at include alcohol, other drug and tobacco use; behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; sexual practices; eating habits; and physical inactivity. The 2011 YRBS results, published in The 2011 Well Being of Watertown Youth Report released in February show improvement in important areas. 

[To see the report click the PDF on the right.]

In the spring of 2011, 532 (73 percent) high school students and 501 (86 percent) middle school students completed the voluntary and anonymous survey. The good news is that underage drinking in Watertown is going down, although alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance among middle school and high school students in Watertown (as well as in the state and nation).

Results from the 2011 Watertown YRBS indicate that the number of High School students currently using alcohol (more than a few sips) and/or binge drinking (five plus drinks in two hours) has continued to decline on a fairly consistent basis from 2008 to 2011.

The percentage of students that reported using alcohol in the past 30 days decreased from 2008 (51 percent) to 2011 (40 percent), and past 30-day binge drinking declined from 2008 (36 percent) to 2011 (26 percent). For Middle School students, the YRBS data shows a decrease in lifetime alcohol use (ever tried) from 2009 (29 percent) to 2011 (20 percent). Of particular concern is the increase in binge drinking episodes among Middle School students from 2010 (3 percent) to 2011 (13 percent).

Overall, survey results show continued improvement in many important areas such asprotective factors (influences that help young people resist pressures to engage in dangerous activities and develop healthy lifestyles) and bullying (being repeatedly teased, threatened, hit, excluded by other students or having belongings stolen or damaged).

Youth who talk to their parents or other adults about their problems are significantly less likely to engage in different types of risky behaviors. The decrease in bullying over the past three years at both the Watertown Middle School and Watertown High School can be attributed in large part to the implementation of the anti-bullying curriculum “Let’s Get Real” at the middle school and “Olweus” at the high school.

Along with the Wayside Multi-Service Center, the Watertown Youth Coalition continues to raise parents’ and students’ awareness about the harm, risk and consequences associated with underage alcohol use through a variety of campaigns, such as "Talk It Up! Lock It Up," "Be A Better You" and parent “coffee and conversation” events. The WYC campaign efforts urge parents to have conversations with their children about not drinking, make sure alcohol is not easily accessible for youth, and stay connected with other parents and community memberswho want to keep youth alcohol-free.

For more information about The 2011 Well Being of Watertown Youth Report please go to Watertown Youth Coalition website: www.watertownyouthcoalition.org or Watertown Public Schools website: www.watertown.k12.ma.us. Anyone interested in getting involved with WYC efforts please contact Melanie St.Pierre, Community Organizer at melanie_stpierre@waysideyouth.org.