Governor Vilsack Announces Results of Iowa Youth Survey

Governor Vilsack Announces Results of Iowa Youth Survey

Report shows decrease in substance abuse among Iowa teens

DES MOINES - Governor Tom Vilsack today announced the results of the 2005 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) showing a positive change in actual substance abuse by Iowa's students. Speaking at a ceremony at the John Grubb YMCA in Des Moines, the Governor was joined by students, law enforcement officers, and representatives of state agencies who participated in the study.

"Iowa's students are clearly making healthy choices," said Governor Tom Vilsack. "Thanks to the efforts of state and community leaders, as well as local partners and coalitions, the use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal substances amongst Iowa's youth has dramatically decreased over the last 6 years. We must build upon these past successes to change the landscape of Iowa for Iowa's young people."

According to the survey, fewer students are using substances with the greatest change in cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana use. In the 2005 IYS survey, 82 percent of students surveyed have never smoked a cigarette; a 12 percent increase from 1999. Nearly 90 percent of the students believe there is a risk in smoking cigarettes every day.

The number of 11th graders reporting binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in a row) in the last 30 days dropped to 32 percent, down four percent from 2002, and an eight percent decline compared to 1999. Ninety-four percent of the students selected zero when asked how many times they had used marijuana in the past 30 days; an increase of two percent from 1999.

In addition, students have a strong opinion about substance usage activity of their peers as 92 percent believe students caught drinking, smoking or using illegal drugs should not be allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities. There is also a six percent increase since 1999 in the number of teens who felt it was against their values to use alcohol and drugs as a teenager.

Cassie Petersen of Leon, who is the outgoing President of Just Eliminate Lies (JEL), a youth advocacy group that works to change peoples' attitudes about tobacco, told her personal experience with kicking the tobacco habit and encouraged other young people to do the same.

The Survey also found that students generally perceive Iowa as a safe place, with 91 percent saying they believe their neighborhood is a safe place to live, the same as in 2002 and only one percent below 1999.

More than 98,000 Iowa students in 6th, 8th and 11th grades participated in the 2005 survey. The survey is designed to identify youth development needs, relevant community programs and assess outcomes of those programs. The 2005 IYS, the eleventh in a series of youth surveys completed every three years since 1975, was a collaborative effort between the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa Department of Human Rights, Division of Criminal Juvenile Justice Program, Department of Human Services, Department of Education, the Office of Drug Control Policy and Iowa State University, Research Institute for Studies in Education.

http://www.governor.state.ia.us/news/2006/june/june2606_1.html