UNH Center on Adolescence, University of New Hampshire

Adolescence Resource Center, University of New Hampshire
 

Profile of NH Youth

Click here to download the NH Youth Fact Sheet

New Hampshire has earned one of the highest rankings for overall child well-being for 1996-2000 [2]. Fewer NH Youth:

  • Drop out of school
  • Live in extreme poverty
  • Become teen mothers

However, despite these favorable rankings, there are still many areas for concern:

  • The teen birthrate is 4 times higher in NH's poorer communities than wealthier ones [2]
  • Approximately 24% of public school 8th graders enrolled in 1996 were not counted among the public school graduates in 2001 [2]
  • There are approximately 2500 youth involved with the Division of Juvenile Justice Services on any given day. Of that 2500, approximately:
    • 80% are living in the community with family,
    • 15% are living in group homes and treatment centers, and
    • 5% are residents of institutions.[3]
  • 24% of the inmates in the NH Prison in June 2001 were aged 18-25. [4]
  • There is almost no information available on sexually minority youth.

Nationally, 70% of adolescent morbidity and mortality are due to 4 behaviors [5]:

  1. Behaviors resulting in injury,
  2. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD),
  3. Sexual and reproductive behaviors, and
  4. Inadequate physical activity and nutrition.

Behaviors Resulting in Injury

  • 12.6% of NH high school students never or rarely wore a seatbelt [6]
  • 24.7% of NH high school students rode in a vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol [6]
  • 17.8% of NH highschool students seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months [6]

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use

  • 35% of 18-24 year olds report that they are current smokers. [7]
  • 80% of the 16,404 students surveyed through the 2003 school-wide administration of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs at some point in their lifetime. [8]
  • 47.2% of NH high school students had at least one drink of alcohol and 30.6% of students report binge drinking (that is, consuming at least 5 alcoholic drinks in a row) in the 30 days prior to taking the survey. [6]
  • Nearly 1/2 (49.6%) of high school students have used marijuana one or more times during their lifetime. [6]
  • 62% of students report use of marijuana or other illicit drugs by at least one of their 4 closest friends in the past year. [6]
  • An estimated 6,000 NH youth age 12-17 and 18,000 young adults age 18-24 are dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. [9]

Sexual and Reproductive Behaviors

  • 41.5% of NH highschool students have had sexual intercourse. [6]
  • 56.4% of the students who had sexual intercourse in the past 3 months used a condom during their last sexual intercourse. [6]

Physical Activity and Nutrition

  • Nearly 1 in ten high school students (9.9%) are overweight, and 13.4% are at risk for becoming overweight. [6]
  • 30.5% of highschool students describe themselves as slightly or very overweight. [6]
  • 44.4% of highschool students are trying to lose weight. [6]
  • Some students are taking steps to lose weight that can negatively impact their health and well-being. In the 30 days preceding the survey,
    • 11% of students went without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or keep from gaining weight,
    • 7.6% of students took diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor's advise to lose weight or keep from gaining weight, and
    • 3.1% of students made themselves vomit or took laxatives to lose weight or keep from gaining weight. [6]
  • 64.1% of highschool students exercised or participated in physical activities for at least 20 minutes that made them sweat or breathe hard on 3 or more of the past 7 days. [6]
  • 62% of reporting NH high schools had soda vending machines and 32% sold food that did not meet dietary guidelines. [10]

[1] NH Office of State Planning at http://nh.gov/oep/programs/DataCenter/index.htm
[2] Antal, P. (2003). Kids Count New Hampshire 2003.
[3] NH Division of Juvenile Justice Services, Personal Communication 1/21/04
[4] Being, Belonging, Becoming: Minnesota's Adolescent Health Action Plan. MN. Department of Health, 2002.
[5] Minard, R. (2001). Locked Up:: Corrections Policy in New Hampshire. The fiscal   consequences of incarceration policies, 1981-2001.
[6] 2003 NH Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), NH Department of Education.
[7] Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2000. NH Department of Health and Human Services, Offfice of Community and Public Health.
[8] 2003 NH Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Aggregate School-Wide Report. NH Division of
  Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention & Recovery.
[9] New Futures, We Need Treatment! Treatment and Recovery for NH People who have
  Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Problems. Portsmouth, NH 2002
[10] School Nutrition Environment Survey, 2001. NH Department of Education.

 

  

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