Survey on risky behavior raises concerns about vaping, suicide risk among KY students

In terms of risky behavior, Kentucky middle and high school students significantly increased their use of vaping products from 2017 to 2019, and the percentages of those who seriously thought about committing suicide in that period also grew, according to a student survey conducted last spring.

The percentage of middle school students who had ever used an electronic vapor product increased from 15.1 percent in 2017 to 31.4 percent in 2019. A significant increase also occurred among high school students who ever used an electronic vapor product, from 44.5 percent in 2017 to 53.7 percent in 2019, according to the 2019 Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

The survey showed that the percentage of middle school students who currently used an electronic vapor product, on at least one day during the 30 days before the survey, increased from 3.9 percent in 2017 to 17.3 percent in 2019.

More Kentucky students also are experiencing mental health challenges, the survey showed, in that the percentage of middle school students who ever seriously thought about killing themselves increased from 18.2 in 2017 to 22.4 in 2019. The percentage of high school students who seriously considered attempting suicide during the 12 months before the survey increased from 14.8 percent in 2017 to 18.4 percent in 2019, a Kentucky Department of Education news release said Friday.

The percentage of Kentucky high school students who were currently sexually active, meaning they had sexual intercourse with at least one person during the three months before the survey, dropped from 29 percent in 2017 to 28.7 percent in 2019.

The survey monitors the health-risk behaviors contributing to the leading causes of death, disability and social problems among young people and adults in the United States, including alcohol and drug use, injury and violence such as seat belt usage and suicide, nutrition, physical activity, sexual behaviors and tobacco use.

The Kentucky Department of Education partnered with family resource and youth service centers at schools in Kentucky to conduct the survey in spring 2019. Students were selected to participate from “randomly chosen middle and high schools”, officials said. The surveys were voluntary, anonymous and students could refuse to answer any and all questions. Data from individual school districts, schools or students were not reported.

The percentage of high school students who have ever tried cigarette smoking, even one or two puffs, decreased from 40.5 percent in 2017 to 30.6 percent in 2019.

But other data showed that risky health behavior among students was increasing on many fronts:

▪ The percentage of high school students who currently use an electronic vapor product on at least one day during the 30 days before the survey, increased from 14.1 percent in 2017 to 26.1 percent in 2019

▪ The percentage of middle school students who ever drank alcohol increased from 17.1 percent in 2017 to 22.9 percent in 2019.

▪ The percentage of high school students who felt sad or hopeless almost every day for more than or equal to two weeks in a row so that they stopped doing some usual activities during the 12 months before the survey, increased from 29.2 percent in 2017 to 37.2 percent in 2019.

▪ The percentage of middle school students who ever tried to kill themselves increased from 5.8 percent in 2017 to 8.8 percent in 2019.

▪ The percentage of middle school students who got 8 or more hours of sleep on an average school night decreased from 53.6 percent in 2017 to 44.1 percent in 2019.

▪ The percentage of middle school students who ate breakfast on all seven days before the survey decreased from 46.6 percent in 2017 to 40.9 percent in 2019.

▪ The percentage of high school students who played video or computer games or used a computer three or more hours per day (counting time spent on Xbox, PlayStation an iPad or other tablet, a smartphone, texting, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media, for something that was not school work, on an average school day) increased from 41.2 percent in 2017 to 47.5 percent in 2019.

The survey is administered every two years through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results are used to create awareness, develop programs and policies, support health-related legislation and seek funding through grants, the news release said.