A PLANET Youth survey has revealed surprising insights and trends into alcohol and drug use among the Limestone Coast’s next generation.
Mount Gambier was one of five sites selected for the Planet Youth trial by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, with the program coordinated by local drug action team Substance Misuse Limestone Coast (SMLC).
Students aged 15 from four schools in the region participated in the online survey, which asked questions around drug and alcohol use, mental health, sleep patterns and social media and gaming habits.
The survey results were announced by the Planet Youth team from Iceland’s Reykjavik University at a community information session at City Hall this week.
SMLC project officer Sophie Bourchier said it was clear from the results youth alcohol use was one of the greatest problems facing the region.
“Alcohol is pervasive in the Australian culture and these statistics highlight that young people and possibly parents/caregivers do not understand the health and psychosocial problems associated with early alcohol use,” she said.
“It was disappointing to see that nearly 30pc of the young people surveyed had tried alcohol by the age of 13 and the same percentage have been drunk by the age of 15 but this is also valuable insight for us.
“On a more positive note, it was pleasing to see our data showed lower cannabis use compared to the average and also good results around general happiness.
“It was also interesting to see how many adolescents had tried e-cigarettes or vaping equipment – the modern-day version of smoking traditional cigarettes.”
Comparison data against other Australian sites involved in the program showed similar trends across many of the questions, however local social media use was nearly 14pc above the national average.
Involvement with organised extracurricular activities was 8.2pc below the national average.
Ms Bourchier said the closed session with stakeholders, including councils, schools and organisations, held on Wednesday, was the first step towards proactively addressing the issues raised.
“Now it is about analysing the data and forming a blueprint of sorts, to guide us into the future,” she said.
“The Planet Youth model is internationally renowned for significantly reducing alcohol and drug use among young people using solutions that are regionally unique and we’re very fortunate to be part of it.
“Over the next few years, we can address all issues highlighted to assist and guide our young people to flourish in an even more vibrant, healthy community.”
