Booze Tobacco And Drugs, A Reality For Many British School Kids

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Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Smoking / Quit Smoking;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 18 Nov 2007 - 12:00 PST

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20% of British school children regularly get drunk, while approximately 14% of them have experimented with illegal drugs, according to a survey carried out by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education). The survey, called TellUS2, involved 111,000 English children who go to secondary school.

Here are some of the findings:

• 48% of all 10-15 year-olds have consumed alcohol
• 19% of all 10-15 year olds had been drunk once or more during the previous four weeks
• 16% of all 14-15 year-olds consume alcohol at least three times a month
• 21% of all kids had smoked a cigarette
• 41% of all 14-15 year-olds had smoked a cigarette
• 15% of all 12-15 year-olds had tried drugs, in most cases it was cannabis
• 3% of all kids had used cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, speed, magic mushrooms, or LSD
• Over 30% of all kids in the survey had been bullied at least twice during the previous month
• 57% of all kids felt that their school handled bullying well
• 51% of kids find exams are their biggest worry
• 39% of kids find friendships are a big worry
• 35% of kids find health is a big worry
• 32% of kids find their future is a big worry

Over 85% of all kids see themselves as healthy, while three-quarters take part in regular sports, the survey found. The children said they would most welcome more information on how to stay/become healthy, sex and relationships, and planning their own futures.

Christine Gilbert, Chief Inspector, Ofsted said "We now urge policy makers, local authorities and schools to look hard at the findings and use them to influence their plans and actions."

-- Survey Results - Broken down into Local Education Authorities
-- TellUS2 Questionnaire Summary Sheet
-- National Breakdown of TellUS2 Questions by Year Group

Written by׃ Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
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