Newly-released results of the 2015-16 California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) for Ventura County show many positive trends for local students. The use of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes is down; drinking and driving is less prevalent; and fewer students report being bullied. However, the survey does illuminate some challenges facing some Ventura County kids. Hispanic students report feeling less safe at school and less connected to their schools than their white classmates.

During the same period that marijuana use increased for ninth and eleventh graders in California as a whole, it decreased in Ventura County. “We’re pleased to see that the cumulative impact of education, policy and regulation of substances is paying off for a majority of our Ventura County youth,” said Dr. Antonio Castro, Associate Superintendent for Educational Services at the Ventura County Office of Education. “Given changing attitudes and access to marijuana, coordinated collaboration among our regional prevention partners remains a priority.” The passage of Proposition 64, which legalizes recreational use of marijuana for people 21 years or older poses new challenges for educators. Dawn Anderson, VCOE’s Director of Comprehensive Health & Prevention Programs said, “We will need to redouble our efforts to teach kids about making healthy choices.”

Conducted every two years, the California Healthy Kids Survey is the largest statewide survey of resiliency, protective factors, and risk behaviors in the nation. Across California, the CHKS has led to a better understanding of the relationship between students’ health behaviors and academic performance, and is frequently cited by state policymakers and the media as a critical component of school improvement efforts. The survey results help guide the development of more effective health, prevention, and youth development programs. Highlights from the survey are below and charts of detailed survey results are available here.

Ventura County 2015-16 Survey Highlights

Alcohol

• Lifetime alcohol use by ninth and eleventh graders has declined by 20 percentage points over the past eight years.
• Binge drinking by eleventh graders has declined by 12 percentage points over the past eight years.

Tobacco

• Lifetime cigarette use by ninth graders has declined by 13 percentage points over the past eight years.
• Lifetime cigarette use by eleventh graders has declined by 18 percentage points over the past eight years.
• 25 percent of ninth graders report having used an e-cigarette, which is down three percentage points from two years earlier.
• 37 percent of eleventh graders report having used an e-cigarette, which is up one percentage points from two years earlier.

Marijuana

• Lifetime marijuana use by ninth graders has declined by 12 percentage points over the past four years.
• Lifetime marijuana use by eleventh graders has declined by nine percentage points over the past four years.
• Marijuana use among ninth and eleventh graders is increasing statewide, but declining in Ventura County.

Bullying and Sexual Harassment

• Bullying is declining for seventh, ninth and eleventh graders.
• More male students than female students say they have been bullied.
• More white students than Hispanic students say they have been sexually harassed.

School Safety

• The percentage of students who say they feel safe at school is increasing for seventh graders but declining for eleventh graders.
• White female students feel the safest at school and Hispanic male students feel the least safe. 

School Connectedness

• The percentage of students feeling connected to their school has increased since 2006.
• Hispanic students feel less connected to their schools than white students.
• The percentage of students who feel adults at school care about them is increasing for seventh graders but declining for eleventh graders.

Click here for charts showing detailed survey results.