More children are choosing kale over crisps

Monday 02 March 2015

Young people in Jersey are becoming healthier, according to a new survey. They are smoking and drinking less, fewer live in fear of getting bullied at school and more are wearing a helmet when cycling, the report concludes.

The ‘Picture of Good Health’ survey, carried out across Island schools, also shows that drug use is still uncommon among under 14s and more young people are enjoying physical activity.

Other positive changes in lifestyle trends since the survey began in 1998 include:

- More young people are eating fruit, vegetables, meats, salads on most days
- Fewer are eating crisps and chocolates
- Fewer are afraid to go to school because of bullying
- Fewer having been offered cannabis and other drugs

But it is not all good news:

- Despite the majority of young people eating a balanced diet, with healthier options eaten more often than unhealthy ones, nearly one in five young people remain overweight or obese.
- Young people in Jersey generally report high to medium levels of self-esteem – but there has been a small reduction in the numbers reporting this since 2006. This is particularly evident among 14-15-year-old-girls, where a combination of wellbeing, worry and quality of life indicators suggest a small increase in poorer mental health
- Fewer 14-15-year-olds are sexually active in Jersey than in the UK but of those that are, just under half reported not using a condom the last time they had sex

The survey was carried out in spring 2014 across pupils aged between 10 and 15 in 40 Jersey schools in years 6, 8 and 10, with a total of 2,675 responding which represents 86% of all young people of these ages in the Island.

The States’ Head of Health Improvement, Martin Knight said: “Jersey’s young people report mostly healthier lifestyles and are showing positive improvements in behaviours such as smoking and drinking, whereas in our adult population these same behaviours cause us to have some of the worst health when compared to the UK.”