Young People into 2006
Twenty years of Young People reports
What the media said:
BBC
TES weapons
Daily Mail
Express and Echo
TES body image
A unique contemporary archive of young people, this new report provides the answers to over 100 health-related behaviour questions.
Annually since 1986, the Schools Health Education Unit has published the collected Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire (HRBQ) results. Data from more than 700,000 pupils between the ages of 8 and 18, have now been recorded since the questionnaire's launch in 1977. More than 5,600 separate school surveys have been carried out, some schools repeating surveys of their pupils on five occasions. The data banks at SHEU are a unique resource that are consulted by a wide range of groups and individuals including Local Education Authorities, Public Health Authorities, Government Offices, University departments, schools, teachers and other interested individuals.
The 20th report, 'Young People into 2006' shows figures and graphs from youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15. They tell us about what they do at home, at school, and with their friends. The data have been collected from 310 primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom. The original sample of 37,932 was finally reduced to 17,743 to be much more representative of the country as a whole.
Summary
SECTION 1
- 21% of all males and 15% of all females were 'overweight' according to BMI formulae. 56% of 14-15 year old females and 55% of 12-13 year old females 'would like to lose weight'. This compares with 26% of 14-15 year old males and 36% of 12-13 year old males who 'would like to lose weight'
- 30% of Year 10 females have 'nothing at all to eat for breakfast this morning' and, of that proportion, 36% had nothing for lunch on the previous day
- Less fresh fruit but more vegetables are eaten as pupils get older
- Up to 26% of the 12-15 year old females, reported feeling 'quite uneasy' or 'very uneasy' on their last visit to the doctor
- Around 25% of males and 50% of 14-15 year old females report taking painkillers on at least one day during the previous week (32kB pdf)
- 38% of 12-13 year old females feel afraid (at least 'sometimes') of going to school because of bullying. 29% of 14-15 year old males keep bullying problems 'to themselves'
- 22% of the 14-15 year old males were 'fairly sure' or 'certain' that their friends carried weapons for protection when going out
- Up to 55% of the sample walk at least some of the way to school
- More females than males did homework on the evening before the survey, and they tended to spend longer at it. Around 42% of the 12-15 year old males did no homework at all
- Up to 23% of males spent more than 3 hours on computer games after school 'yesterday' and 78% of 14-15 year old males browse the Internet without adult supervision
- 51% of 10-11 year old females 'read a book for enjoyment' as an after-school activity compared with 20% of 14-15 year old females
- Up to 63% of the sample will have smoked by the time they are 14 years old. Young people's own smoking habits are strongly correlated with the number of other people smoking at home. This report shows that up to 52% of 12-15 year olds live in a 'smoky' home and 55% of 14-15 year old females have a close friend who smokes
- Up to 57% of the 14-15 year olds are 'fairly sure' or 'certain' that they know a drug user. Up to 17% of 14-15 year olds have mixed drugs and alcohol 'on the same occasion'
- The percentage of young people with a regular job rises from around 27% (12-13 years) to up to 35% (14-15 years). Up to 29% of 14-15 year olds reported receiving more than £10 in pocket money 'last time'. More males than females save money
- Over 86% of the sample report exercising at least once 'last week'. At least 56% of 10-11 year olds think they are 'fit' or 'very fit'. This falls to 28% by the time they reach 14-15 years of age. From 1991 there is an upward trend (10%-22%) of 14-15 year old females that report being unfit.
- 'Exams and tests' and 'the way you look' remain the principal worry for females aged 14-15 years. Up to 33% of 10-11 year olds worry about 'family problems'. The greatest concern for 14-15 year old males are 'exams and tests' (16kB pdf)
- Up to 30% of 10-11 year olds (which has been consistent for a number of years) report that they have been scared or upset by an adult stranger. 24% of 10-11 year old females think they have been picked on or bullied because of the way they look. Up to 44% of 10-11 year olds do not know of an illness called AIDS (or HIV)
'Young People into 2006' is divided into nine sections :
SECTION 1 - Food choices & weight control
SECTION 2 - Doctor & Dentist
SECTION 3 - Health & Safety
SECTION 4 - Family & Home
SECTION 5 - Legal & Illegal Drugs
SECTION 6 - Money
SECTION 7 - Exercise & Sport
SECTION 8 - Social & Personal
SECTION 9 - Responses from primary children that are not contained in sections 1-8.
Comments below have been made by:
DR = Dr. David Regis, Research Manager
AB = Angela Balding, Survey Manager
Notes for Editors
- SHEU is an independent research, survey and publishing company and the 'Young People into 2006' report is the 20th in the series and based on the work of one of its divisions - The Schools Health Education Unit. The Unit provides reliable baseline data for local needs assessment to inform health improvement plans.
- The accumulated data from the hundreds of school surveys we support each year, involving tens of thousands of young people, is a valuable resource of information and provides many opportunities for research. We caution against simple reporting and interpretation of our databanks as being from 'a national survey' but we have some evidence that our sample of schools is roughly similar to a nationally representative sample and that where figures are available our figures often dovetail nicely with other research.
Section 1: Food choices & weight control [Top]
Breakfast
30% of the 14-15 year old females and 22% of the 14-15 year old males had nothing at all to eat for breakfast 'this' morning. (p.2)
Lunch
21% of the 14-15 year old females ate no lunch on their previous day at school. (p.3)
Breakfast & Lunch
36% of the 14-15 year old females who had nothing to eat at breakfast 'this' morning (on the morning of the survey) had nothing to eat at lunch the previous day at school. (p.3).
"We expect that at least some meal-skipping is done because they want to lose weight or avoid putting it on - but this can't be the best way of achieving those goals." - DRHealthy eating
Females are more likely than males to take health into account when choosing what to eat. 24% of the 14-15 year old males say they 'never' consider their health when choosing what to eat. (p.12)
"Are these boys fed up with dietary advice or just think it's a girls' thing? It's often said that advice about diet is often contradictory and changing, but we don't think the core advice to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables has altered at all." - DRWeight
56% of 14-15 year old females and 55% of the 12-13 year old females 'would like to lose weight'. The proportion of the 14-15 year old females who missed breakfast and lunch and 'would like to lose weight' is around 25%. 21% of older males and 15% of older females were 'overweight' using Height/Weight data. (p.4 & 7).
"We don't want to be complacent about the problem of obesity, but far more young people are unhappy with their weight than there is any medical need to be." - DRFood choices
(The following comments apply to dietary items consumed 'on most days'.) Over 58% of older pupils have dairy products. Females, from 10-15 years, show a greater preference for fresh fruit, salads and vegetables. Data since 1987 reveal a slight downward trend in those choosing crisps and in 2005 35% of 14-15 year olds eat crisps 'on most days'. (p. 8-11)
Section 2: Doctor & Dentist [Top]
Going to the doctor
Up to 29% of the males and females reported visiting their GP within the previous month, and about 50% of all the young people had done so within the previous three months. (p.14)
Confidence with the doctor
Up to 26% of the 12-15 year old females, reported feeling 'quite uneasy' or 'very uneasy' on their last visit to the doctor. In previous years we have reported that those young people who say they were at ease with their GP on their last visit were also likely to have visited the GP more recently. (p.15)
"From other work, we know that sometimes young people go to a doctor thinking that they will talk about something - and then somehow not mentioning it. Do young people need some coaching about how to make the best of their encounters with health professionals?" - DRToothbrushing
More than 72% of the males and at least 82% of the females brushed their teeth at least twice a day. Up to 26% of 14-15 year-old males brushed only once. (p.16)
Going to the dentist
Over 80% reported visiting the dentist in the previous six months. (p.17)
Section 3: Health & Safety [Top]
"We continue to see high attention to personal hygiene among most young people. The willingness of some of them to self-medicate must be a reassurance to the pharmaceutical industry."Baths & showers
"Over a third of the 12-13 year old girls have had fears about going to school because of bullying. Any fear must have a disabling effect and undermine performance." - Angela Balding, Survey Manager.
Slightly more older males (24%) than females (22%) report having eight or more baths or showers 'in the past week'. (p.22)
Asthma
Up to 18% of the 10 - 15 year olds report having asthma. A connection is shown between general levels of worry and asthma and its symptoms. (p.23)
Medication
50% of the 14-15 year old females report taking painkillers on at least one day during the previous week. Assuming they all cannot be suffering from period pains during the week before the survey it is worth noting that 28% of the 14-15 year old males also report taking painkillers. 37% of 12-13 year old females and 23% of 12-13 year old males said they took painkillers 'at least one day in the last week'. (p.24)
"We always think that these levels of pill-popping are high. I'm happy to take a painkiller when I hurt, but why are these young people so often in need of painkillers?" - DR'Wheezers'
Around 60% of females report 'wheezing' and have trouble breathing (not just out of breath) when they run. (p.25)
"We can link wheezing with reports of taking asthma medication, and it seems there are wheezy young people who are not using such medication - perhaps because they prefer not to, but they may not have been diagnosed as needing it." - DR
Safety outside after dark and during the day
Up to 25% of the sample felt that safety after dark was 'poor' or 'very poor' in their neighbourhood, with females feeling more apprehensive after dark. (p.26)
Carrying weapons
22% of 14-15 year old males are 'fairly sure' or 'certain' that friends carry weapons for protection when going out. (p.27)
Being bullied
35% of the 10-11 year old females have a fear of bullying. Since 1999 up to 44% of 10-11 year old females have reported a fear of going to school, at least sometimes, because of bullying. (p.28)
"This must reduce the quality of these young people's lives. We have been able to link this fear of bullying with lower self-esteem and feelings of control." - DRAccidents
During the previous year, up to 42% of the males had an accident that needed treatment from a doctor or at a hospital. Most accidents for males occur while playing sport. Females are more likely to report accidents that occur at home. Up to 13% of older males needed GP or hospital treatment for accidents at work. (p.30-33)
"Taking risks is part of life and can be exciting - so how do you take risks safely?" - DRSunburn
Up to 22% never try to avoid sunburn. (p.34)
Section 4: Family & Home [Top]
Family structure
In this sample up to 62% of the young people live with both parents, and up to 18% live in single-parent families. Around 38% live in a household with five or more people, and the majority live in a home with two children. About 60% have at least one younger sibling and up to 11% live in a family with 5 or more children at home. (p.36-39)
"We have rarely tried to look for differences between children from different types of family; we expect that the differences are there, but we don't know if they would be useful to see." - DRSchool journey
Up to 55% of 12-15 year olds report walking, at least some of the way, to school. Up to 30% go by car and about 14% go by school bus. Over 51% of the sample have two or more cars in their family. (p.42-43)
"Is the danger presented by the many cars on the 'school run' one of the reasons that parents and children think it best to go to school in a car? ." - DRTelevision
At least 88% watched some TV during the evening prior to the survey. At least 17% watched TV for more than 3 hours and 12% or fewer did not watch at all. (p.44)
"TV can be a social and an educational resource. We have been collecting information from an Internet survey about who controls TV watching, and know that many young people have their own TV in their bedroom." - DRHomework
More females than males did homework on the evening before the survey, and they tended to spend longer at it. 44% of the 14-15 year old males did no homework. (p.45)
"We know schools make good use of these figures, of course. We are always struck by gender differences; do boys get set less homework, or so they save it all up and do it in a bunch?" - DRComputer games
Up to 79% of the males, compared with up to at least 43% of the females, spent some time playing computer games on the previous evening. (p.46)
"We make no connection between the rise of computer games and the quality of TV programmes ." - DRInternet
Up to 89% of this sample access the Internet. Up to 71% access it home and up to 78% access it at school. Internet access has increased from more than 56% (2000) to more than 79% (2005). 79% of 14 - 15 year old males browse without adult supervision. Since 2000 we have seen a sharp rise in the percentages of young people that report browsing the Internet without adult supervision. (p.47-48)
Evening activities
The most common of all is television watching (between 72%-80%). Other popular activities: (for 10-15 year old males) playing computer games and playing sport. Other popular activities: (for 10-15 year old females) reading a book and caring for pets (for 12-13 year old females). The fall in percentage of 'readers' between 10-15 years of age implies a decline in the importance of books in the lives of children as they grow older e.g. 51% of 10-11 year old females 'read for enjoyment' compared with 20% of 14-15 year old females. (p.49)
"We also see young people acting in the family as carers and in their communities as volunteers." - DR
Section 5: Legal & Illegal Drugs [Top]
Experience of alcohol
Up to 8% of 10-11 year olds, up to 24% of the 12 -13 year olds, and up to 41% of the 14-15 year olds had consumed at least one of the listed alcoholic drinks during the previous week. (p.53)
"This pattern of increasing experience with age is expected, but are we happy with the levels seen?" - DRBeer or lager
24% of the males and 11% of the females, aged 14-15, drank at least one pint of beer or lager during the previous week. Figures suggest that fewer are drinking but 'drinkers' are drinking more. (p.56)
Wines and Spirits
24% of the 14-15 year old females drank at least 1 small bottle of pre-mixed spirit drinks during the previous week. 19% of the 14-15 year old females had drunk at least one glass of wine during the previous week. Since 1996, the data shows that older females 'overtook' the males as spirit-drinkers and in 2005, 19% of 14-15 year old females, reported drinking one or more spirit measures in the past week. (p.58, 59 & 61)
Alcohol units
17% of 14-15 year olds males drank more than 10 units of alcohol 'in the previous week' and 9% of 14-15 year old males drank on 3 days or more 'last week'. (p. 62-63)
"It's not easy to set guidelines for young people, but we guess that they be a lot lower than we advise for adults." - DRObtaining alcohol
The off-licence remains the most important source of purchased alcohol, especially for the 14-15 year olds, followed by the supermarket. (p.64)
"This is of course illegal, but they still keep telling us they are able to make such purchases ." - DRDrinking at home
Most 'drinkers' drank at home and substantial numbers of 14 -15 year olds used other venues including friends, disco, club, party, pubs and outside in a public place. Of those who do drink at home, up to 40% do so with their parents always knowing about it. (p.65-66)
"We published a report many years ago entitled 'We teach them how to drink!' and clearly we still do...." - DRSmoking levels
24% of the 14-15 year old females and 14% of the 14-15 year old males smoked at least one cigarette during the previous week. 13% of the older female smokers report smoking up to 25 cigarettes a week. (p.67).
"There may be as many reasons for smoking as there are young smokers - it's wrong to say they're all doing it just because they think they look cool ." - DRSources of cigarettes
15% of the 14-15 year old females were able to buy cigarettes from a shop and 8% of the same group were supplied by friends. (p.68)
"The cigarettes that end up in the hands of young people always start in the hands of adults ." - DRAttitude to smoking
Between 12-13 years and 14-15 years the number of regular smokers triples. Up to 63% will have smoked by the time they are 14 years old. The majority of current smokers say they would like to stop.
"Are we doing enough to support the majority of young smokers who say they want to give up? Or do we not really believe them?." - DRSmoking contacts
55% of the older females have a close friend who smokes. The contrast in smoking between females with or without friends who smoke is dramatic, but the highest proportion of all is among females with a 'smoking sister'. Up to 52% of all pupils live in a 'smoky' home. (p.69-71)
"You can choose your friends, but not your sister." - DRDrug safety
The older they get pupils think that drugs are 'always unsafe', except cannabis, which is considered to be 'always unsafe' by a smaller percentage of the older groups. (p.72)
"Cannabis is seen quite differently by young people, compared with other drugs." - DRDrug users
Up to 57% of the 14-15 year olds are 'fairly sure' or 'certain' that they know a drug user. (p.73)
"Young people in a class may all know the same one drug user, but it gives some indication as to how close young people are to a possible source of drugs." - DRDrug experience
About 1 in 5 pupils in Year 10 - four times as many as in Year 8 - have tried at least one drug. Cannabis is by far the most likely drug to have been tried, with up to 24% of 14-15 year old olds, and up to 6% of 12-13 year olds reporting having taken it. Up to 17% of 14-15 year olds have mixed drugs and alcohol 'on the same occasion'. (p.74-76)
"Young people's drug use seems lower now than it was at its peak. There is no doubt that pupils can refuse unwelcome drug offers." - DR
Section 6: Money [Top]
Paid work during term time
The percentage of young people with a regular job rises from up to 28% (12-13 years) to up to 35% (14-15 years). (p.78)
"Many young people will have experience of employment before they leave school." - DRType of work
Paper and milk rounds are prime jobs for the males, with babysitting common for the females. Paid housework is also an important source of income for the younger respondents. (p.79)
Hours worked
Up to 20% of the 14-15 year old workers worked for more than 8 hours during the week before the survey. The average hours worked per week was around 3.5 (12-13 year olds) and up to 5 (14-15 year olds). (p.80)
Money earned
12% of 14-15 year olds earned more than £30 'last week'. The average earnings for the same age group was around £17. (p.81)
"Sex differences in types of job and earnings appear early, it seems." - DRPocket money
Up to 55% of 10-11 year olds receive weekly pocket money and around 65% get up to £5, while up to 29% of the 14-15 year olds receive more than £10 per week. (p.82-83)
"Not everyone gets pocket money, and it may not be on a regular schedule." - DRTotal income
Up to 12% of the 14-15 year olds receive more than £30 per week from pocket money and jobs. (p.84)
"We see higher levels of income associated with all sorts of health-related behaviours, like smoking, drinking alcohol and consuming fast food." - DRSaving money
More older males (40%) than females (37%) are savers and up to 47% of all pupils saved something. Figures from 1993 show that males have always saved more than females although in recent years females may be catching up. (p.85)
"It's sometimes suggested that young people don't think much about the future, but these figures contradict that idea." - DRSpending money
22% of older males spent more than £20 during the week before the survey. (p.86)
Items bought last week
For all groups:
sweets (up to 45%) and soft drinks (up to 32%).
For individual age/gender - top 4 choices:
(10-11 yr males): sweets (45%) computer games (40%), Leisure/sports centre (35%), arcade games fro fun (34%).
(10-11 yr females): sweets (40%), school equipment (37%), comics/magazines (31%), CDs/tapes (30%).
(12-13 yr males): sweets (27%), soft drinks (24%), fast food (19%), CDs/tapes (17%), crisps (17%).
(12-13 yr females): sweets (30%), clothes/footwear (28%), soft drinks (23%), comics/magazines (21%).
(14-15 yr males): sweets (33%), soft drinks (31%), fast food (26%), CDs/tapes (20%), clothes/footwear (20%). (14-15 yr females): sweets (36%), clothes/footwear (32%), soft drinks (30%) cosmetics/toiletries (24%), fast food (24%). (p.87-88)
"The highs and lows of spending habits fit our expectations. That's not to say we shouldn't collect the information - until you have the figures, you're risking a surprise." - DR
Section 7: Exercise and Sport [Top]
Enjoyment of sport
50% of the 10-11 year old females enjoy physical activity 'a lot'. However, far fewer females than males in each year group report liking sport 'a lot'. Nearly half as many 14-15 year old females as males say they enjoy physical activity 'a lot'. Nevertheless, over 82% of 10-11 year olds and over 64% of the secondary pupils enjoy physical activity 'quite a lot' or 'a lot'. (p.90)
"We are always encouraged by these figures." - DRActive sports
Nearly all of the 36 activities listed show a decline in involvement with increasing age except for 5-a-side football (males), fitness exercises, golf (males), basketball (males and some females), soccer (males), weight training (males) and 'going for walks' (females). 'Going for walks' is a popular activity for females (up to 38% of older females). Comparing the 14-15 year old 'no active sport' data since 1992 shows a range of 13%-23%. (p.91-94)
Fitness
Up to 64% of 10-11 year old pupils think they are 'fit' or 'very fit'. 27% of the 14-15 year old females describe themselves as 'unfit' or 'very unfit'. Perceived fitness declines with age in males and females. From 1991-2005 there is an upward trend (from 10%-22%) of 14-15 year old females that report being unfit. (p.95)
"It's hard to judge your own fitness exactly, but what they tell us matches their accounts of their activities. We do know pupils now see themselves as less fit than did pupils a few years ago, but that may be because the standards they judge themselves against have risen." - DRAerobic exercise
Over 85% of all groups (10-15 year olds) had exercised to the level of 'breathing hard' at least once in the previous week. The gap is seen to widen between males and females among the frequent exercisers as they get older. Up to 14% report never taking exercise in the past week that caused them to breathe harder and faster. (p.96)
"Don't tell them this, but most young people are fairly fit by virtue of being young. But if they don't find something they like doing and get into good exercise habits early, it's going to be hard later on to build exercise into their lives." - DR
Section 8: Social & Personal [Top]
Meeting people of their own age for the first time
Up to 29% are 'quite' or 'very uneasy'. (p.99) Information about sex Between 12-15 years of age there is a trend away from parents and school lessons and a trend towards friends. Parents and/or school lessons should be the main source of information about sex according to these young people. (p.100-101)
"Schools have become a more important source of sex information for young people. This isn't to say that parents don't have an important role, but it may be a different one." - DRUseful school lessons in health education
Most lessons on the list are reported to be less 'useful' as pupils get older. (p.102)
"Young people who rate their drugs lessons as useful are less likely to experiment with drugs." - DREnjoyable school lessons
Up to 36% report enjoying 'all' or 'most' school lessons. (p.103)
"The Government's Every Child Matters agenda makes enjoyment an explicit aim." - DRGCSEs
53% of 14-15 year olds expect good grades at GCSEs (in England, in recent years, around 55% of pupils have achieved grades A-C). (p.104)
After Year 11
60% of 14-15 year old females and 46% of 14-15 year old males want to continue with full-time education. (p.105).
Worries
Around 33% of 10-11 year olds worry about 'family problems'. 14-15 year old females top the list of most problem areas. 'The way you look' and 'exams and tests' are the principal worries for older females, and 'exams and tests' worry 53% of 10-11 year old females. 50% of 14-15 yr females are worried about the way they look. (p.106) Data from 'Trends-Young People and Emotional Health and Well-Being 1983-2001' show that since the early 1990s fewer young people report worrying about 'the way you look'.
"Young people don't seem more or less worried than the previous generation, but they may worry about different things ." - DRSchool-work problems
31% of 14-15 year old females report worrying about school-work problems. Up to 26% of all pupils look to the teacher for support. (p.107)
"More of today's pupils say they would go to a teacher (as opposed to a parent)." - DRMoney problems
25% of 14-15 year old females report money problems and up to 47% of all pupils would talk to their mother and father. (p.108)
Health problems
28% of 10-11 year old females report worrying about health problems and most pupils would turn to their mother and father for support.(p.109)
Career problems
Mother and father are the most likely source of support and the school teacher plays a stronger part for older pupils. 13% of older females would turn to their teacher. (p.110)
Friend problems
Gender differences are pronounced. More males say mother and father, and 24% of 14-15 year old males would 'would keep it to myself' . More females say mother but up to 34% of older pupils would share the problem with another friend. (p.111)
Family problems
Up to 36% of 10-11 year olds and 38% of 14-15 year old females worry about 'family problems'. Females are twice as likely than males to turn to a friend to share the problem. Males are more likely to go to mother and father and up to 25% of older males would 'keep it to myself'. (p.112)
Bullying problems
15% of 12-13 year old females report worrying about this problem and, 21% of 10-11 year old females would share a bullying problem with a teacher. 29% of 14-15 year old males would keep, to themselves, any problems they experienced with bullying. (p.113)
"Parents are the most important source of support for young people, but, depending on the issue, they may also seek help outside the family, talking to teachers about school or a school nurse about a health problem ." - DRSelf-esteem
The level of self-esteem tends to increase with age. The 'high' group included more males than females. (p.114)
"Is this boys' unwillingness to admit weakness, or are girls actually less confident?" - DRControl over health
The majority feel they are in control of their health. At least a quarter do not think they can influence their health by their own efforts. (p.115-117)
"There is a link in older females between smoking and having a fatalistic feeling of being unable to exert control over their health." - DRGetting on with adults
Up to 60% 'get on best' with both parents. Older pupils show a move away from parents towards other individual family members and friend. Around 75% trust at least two adults. Around 5% of pupils trust no one. (p.118-119)
Life satisfaction
Males are more satisfied than females. This difference is in line with evidence (p.106) that females worry about more things than males. (p.120)
"Dissatisfied pupils are more likely to engage in health-risky behaviours." - DRSexually transmitted diseases
In 2003 we reported on the apparent decline in 12-15 year olds' anxiety about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. In 2005 7-12% think that HIV/AIDS can be treated and cured. (p.121)
Methods of contraception
Up to 73% selected 'condoms' and up to 66% chose 'The Pill' as the most reliable contraceptive method to stop pregnancy. (p.122)
"There is a level of confusion around about contraception; it may not be directly relevant for most of them yet, because they have not started having sex, but we'd like them to get their ideas and expectations sorted before then.." - DRMethods of contraception reliable to stop infections like HIV/AIDS
Up to 61% chose 'condoms' although there were differences between age and gender e.g. 37% (males) and 39 (females) in the 12-13 year old group compared with 53% (males) and 61% (females) in the 14-15 year old group. (p.123)
Birth control services
56% of the 14-15 year old females knew about a local service for young people, and knowledge grew with age. 49% of the older males did not know of a source of free condoms compared with 36% of the older females. (p.124-125)
Section 9: The Primary Questionnaire Responses (10-11 year olds) [Top]
This section contains responses from primary children in Year 6 that are not reported in the previous eight sections.
Schoolday breakfast
Cereal is a firm favourite. 10-11 year old primary pupils generally appear to be more careful than secondary pupils to have a substantial breakfast. 6% had nothing to eat or drink before 'coming to school today'. (p.128)
"We believe a breakfast is good for everyone, including young people." - DRBeing bullied
Around 25% experience some form of bullying. Playtime and lunchtime can cause anxiety for up to 16% of 10-11 year olds and, 24% of females felt picked on for 'the way they looked'. (p.129-131)
"It's not always what is done that makes bullying so damaging - it's the pattern and purpose." - DR'Stranger danger'
Up to 30% (which has been consistent for a number of years) report that they have been scared or upset by an adult stranger. About 18% ran away when approached by a stranger. (p.132-133)
"We are conscious that children may also be at risk from people that they already know." - DRAlcoholic drinks
47% of 10-11 year old females have tasted wine. Males top the list in all categories of alcoholic drink except wine and 'alcopops'. 14% of the 10-11 yr old males drank alcohol in the previous week. (p.135-136)
Smoking
Up to 20% said 'maybe' or 'yes' to smoking when they are older. (p.137)
"It seems this may be an accurate prediction - in which case, what can we do to make them more smoke-proof?." - DRAIDS & talking about AIDS
Up to 44% of 10-11 yr old males do not know of an illness called AIDS (or HIV). Since 1999 we have reported a declining trend in knowledge from around 67% to around 57% (2002-2005) but this figure has been similar for the past 4 years. Pupils report that about 17% of Year 6 teachers have talked to their pupils about AIDS (or HIV), at least according to the recollection of the pupils. (p.138-139)
Talking about drugs
Up to 58% said their teachers had spoken to them about drugs. (p.140)
Playtime and dinner time
More females than males report playing running or skipping games. 24% of females compared with 18% of males report 'reading quietly' during playtimes. (p.141)