Adolescent Health

Issue

Massachusetts’ rates of current youth alcohol and marijuana use are higher than the nation and in some MetroWest communities the rates of marijuana use exceed state averages.  In MetroWest, 39% of high school students have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days and 23% have consumed five or more drinks in a row within the past 30 days (“binge” drinking). 

MetroWest also has high rates of bullying.  Nearly half of all middle school students were bullied in the past 12 months, 43% were bullied on school property and 16% were bullied electronically.  One in three report they have bullied others.  Children and youth who are bullied are more likely than other children to be depressed, lonely, anxious, have low self-esteem, feel unwell and think about suicide. 

Strategy

To address the youth substance abuse problem, the Foundation created a six-year initiative to reduce the rates of teen drinking and illegal drug use.  Eleven communities were awarded grants of up to $200,000 for a three-year period for prevention, intervention and increased access to treatment.  Since these grants ended, many of the participating communities have gone on to win significant federal grants to continue this work. (See sidebar video.)

In 2010, the Foundation launched a three-year initiative to address bullying in middle schools.  Five school districts were awarded grants of up to $59,000 for policy creation, curriculum adoption and awareness activities for students, school personnel and parents.

In order to measure the impact of our work on youth substance abuse and bullying, the Foundation contracts with Education Development Center to conduct the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey in every public middle and high school in the MetroWest region every other year for ten years.  This survey, which is based on the CDC's valid and reliable Youth Risk Behavior Survey, asks students about substance use, violence, mental health and other risky behavior topics.  The 2010 survey was administered to 34,784 students in grades 7 through 12, making it one of the largest surveys of adolescent risk behaviors in the country with 21 MetroWest middle school districts and 24 high school districts participating.  The survey continues to show a steady decrease in alcohol consumption from 2006 to 2010.  The Foundation will use this survey data to measure the impact of its bullying initiative over the next few years.

Publications & Resources