YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY

Fifty-four percent of high school respondents to the Martha's
Vineyard Youth Risk Behavior Survey say they had used alcohol during
the 30 days prior to answering the survey question. Thirty-eight
percent said they had used marijuana. Both figures for Vineyard
students are significantly higher than comparable results for high
school students state-wide.

These and other responses to questions concerning tobacco use, drug
use, sexual activity, depression, suicide, weight concerns, fighting
and bullying describe a Vineyard community of young people who
generally resemble their mainland peers. In addition, compared with
historical measures, the latest results suggest that Island young
people may be moderating some risky behaviors. Still, the findings
show alcohol and marijuana use by Island young people is greater than
among mainland Massachusetts students, and that is a worrisome result
for members of the Dukes County Health Council's youth task force,
which administered the survey.

In other survey results, forty-four percent of the Vineyard high
school students who responded said they had had intercourse during
their lifetimes, including 27 percent of ninth graders, 40 percent of
tenth graders, and 62 percent of seniors, a figure just a percentage
point lower than the comparable result for seniors state-wide. But
when they have intercourse, Vineyard young people use condoms more
often than their off-Island peers do. The survey found that among
sexually active Vineyard young people, 73 percent reported that they
or a partner had used a condom the last time they had sexual
intercourse, compared with 57 percent of students state-wide.

The youth risk survey was conducted by the youth task force in April,
in collaboration with the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools and Social
Science Research and Evaluation Inc. of Burlington, which compiled
and analyzed the results. Task force members Mike Joyce, the retired
Edgartown guidance counselor, and Jane Dreeben, a therapist, made a
summary of the results available this week.

According to the task force, "The survey is one step in the Dukes
County Health Council's youth task force's efforts to prepare an
Island-wide assessment of community health needs. The results are
expected to help community residents, agencies, and other
organizations plan and evaluate programming to support young people.
The information can also help parents understand the challenges that
their children face and encourage them to work in planning response
strategies."

Both Mr. Joyce and Ms. Dreeben emphasized that, despite the troubling
issues revealed by the survey results, the goal must be to "see
children as assets, rather than liabilities."

"Survey organizers," according to the task force's press statement,
"stress that the results can present a skewed picture of Vineyard
youth because much of the data concerns risky behaviors such as
substance use and violence. It is important to emphasize the many
positive aspects of adolescent life, the fact that these issues are
not confined solely to youth, and that they are community issues that
require the attention of all community members and organizations."

Tobacco use Ninety-seven percent of Vineyard middle school
respondents said they were not current cigarette smokers, nor were 83
percent of high school students, although among eleventh graders, 25
percent of respondents reported smoking within 30 days of completing
the survey. The state-wide figure for cigarette use among high school
students is 21 percent, taken from the state's 2003 survey. Smoking
among Vineyard students has declined since 2000, when a comparable
survey was conducted by the school system. Then, five percent of
middle schoolers and 30 percent of high school students said they
smoked cigarettes. The 2005 survey results show that, while cigarette
use has declined, use of cigars and smokeless tobacco is on the rise.

Alcohol and pot "Alcohol is the most popular substance among Vineyard
youth," according to a press statement which accompanied the release
of the youth survey results this week, "with 11 percent of middle
schoolers and over half (54 percent) of high schoolers reporting
drinking alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey. Thirty-nine
percent of high schoolers reported binge drinking -- having five or
more drinks in a row within a couple of hours -- in this same
timeframe, meaning that just under three quarters of high school
drinkers engaged in binge drinking."

But, the news is mixed. "While high school rates of current alcohol
use (54 percent, Vineyard 2005 vs. 46 percent, Mass. 2003) and
current binge drinking (39 percent, Vineyard 2005 vs. 27 percent,
Mass. 2003) remain above state averages, trends are promising...."
For both middle school and high school students, alcohol use has
declined since 2000 -- by as much as 10 percentage points for high
school students -- and binge drinking has declined as well.

Marijuana use is much more common than any other illegal substance
and more common than cigarette smoking. Three percent of middle
school students and 38 percent of high school students reported
current use of marijuana (within 30 days of the survey). The high
school rate for the Vineyard is 10 points higher than the state-wide
rate, but the trend suggests improvement. The rate among Vineyard
middle school students is down three percent since 2002, although it
is higher than it was in 2000, when it was two percent. For high
school students, the rate of marijuana use has declined from 44
percent in 2002, and from 43 percent in 2000.

How the survey was conducted Students in grades six through 12 were
surveyed, using a questionnaire modified to suit the middle school
and high school settings. Parents could review the questionnaires in
advance. The surveys were conducted during a school period set aside
for the purpose. The surveys required no personal or identifying
information from respondents. A total of 1,075 students completed the
survey. Participation was voluntary.

Although participation was high, Social Science Research warns that,
"It is important to keep in mind that the survey results can be
generalized only to students who were present when the survey was
administered. The results may not reflect responses that might have
been obtained from students who were absent or truant on the day that
the survey was administered, nor from students who have dropped out of school."

To meet a challenge The youth task force was formed "to address
challenges facing young people on Martha's Vineyard." The effort
began with a community meeting on Oct. 17 at the Martha's Vineyard
Hebrew Center, a "first step in a process of identifying issues that
need to be addressed. It was attended by 57 Islanders, including
students, parents, teachers, therapists, guidance counselors,
administrators, members of the clergy, law enforcement, and
representatives from the Brazilian and Wampanoag communities,"
according to a press statement released by the task force. Another
forum will be held next month, coordinated by researchers at The
Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis
University. The Heller School group will work with the task force to
develop a 10-year plan to address the issues raised by the study and
by the observations of school officials and others in the community.

According the task force's press statement, the health council
established the task force a year ago, when Cindy Doyle, a council
member, argued that important youth health issues were not being
addressed. The task force currently includes Eric Adams, director of
the YMCA Teen Center; Rhonda Cohen, vice chairman of the Dukes County
Health Council; Judy Crawford, chairman of the YMCA's program
committee; Cindy Doyle, Dukes County Health Council and YMCA board
member; Ms. Dreeben; Mr. Joyce; Brian Mackey, executive director of
the Vineyard House; and Paddy Moore, president of the Foundation for
Island Health.

Funding for the survey came from Cindy and Rob Doyle, the Dukes
County Health Council, the Dukes County Sheriff's Department, The
Farm Neck Foundation, The Permanent Endowment Fund, Martha's Vineyard
Cooperative Bank, Mary and Sherif Nada, The Bank of Martha's
Vineyard, Martha's Vineyard Community Services, the Edgartown
Policeman's Association, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, The
Edgartown School, Oak Bluffs School and the West Tisbury School.

Fighting and bullying Students in both middle and high school were
roughly twice as likely to report being in a physical fight outside
of school rather than in school. Eighteen percent of middle schoolers
reported such altercations in school, along with 11 percent of high
school students. Outside school, 23 percent of middle school
respondents reported fights, as did 26 percent of high school survey
respondents. But the 2005 rates represent decreases in fighting for
both middle and high school students, compared to 2000 survey
results. Vineyard middle school students were more than twice as
likely as high school respondents to report that they had been
bullied either in or out of school in the 12 months prior to the
survey. The bullying was more likely to occur in school, rather than
outside school.

Emotional issues In general, about a third of Vineyard middle school
students and half of high school respondents said their lives are
stressful. But in the eleventh grade, the share of students who
report they are under stress rises to 61 percent.

Vineyard high school students are slightly less likely to be
depressed, compared with their state-wide counterparts, though only
nine percent of respondents to the youth survey reported that they
sought help for depression. Females were twice as likely as males to
report depression.