Centre Region Pennsylvania Youth Survey:

The Pennsylvania Youth Survey has been administered to State College Area School District  6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders every other year since 2000. Recent survey data is available at www.centrecares.org

Statewide PAYS data is available at

Findings related to substance abuse show that Pennsylvania students use alcohol more than any other drug, nearly twice as much as tobacco. In fact, Pennsylvania students’ reported use of alcohol over their lifetime is anywhere from 7-11% higher than the national average. With regard to high-risk drinking (five or more drinks in a row), Pennsylvania’s 12th graders show an occurrence rate higher than the national average. One good sign from the survey is that usage among 6th graders has dropped slightly over the years.

Background of PAYS  

Since 1989, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has conducted a survey of secondary school students on their behavior, attitudes and knowledge concerning alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and violence.  The Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) of 6^th, 8^th, 10^th and 12^th grade public school students is conducted every two years.  The findings from the 2007 PAYS build upon the data gathered during the first survey which was administered in 2001, as well as the Generation at Risk survey, a biennial study of drug use prevalence rates that was conducted from 1989 through 1997.  The effort is sponsored and conducted by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).   

PAYS is based on the Communities That Care Youth Survey, which was developed from the work of Dr. J. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard F. Catalano.  The survey is designed to identify levels of risk factors related to problem behaviors such as ATOD use and to identify the levels of protective factors that help guard against those behaviors.  In addition to measuring risk and protective factors, the survey also measures the actual prevalence of drug use, violence, and other antisocial behaviors among surveyed youth. PAYS, which is an anonymous and voluntary survey which asks approximately 120 questions, is administered in the school setting.

The data gathered in the PAYS serve two primary needs.  First, the results provide school administrators, state agency directors, legislators and others with critical information concerning the changes in patterns of the use and abuse of these harmful substances and behaviors.  Second, the survey assesses risk factors that are related to these behaviors and the protective factors that help guard against them.  This information allows community leaders to direct prevention resources to areas where they are likely to have the greatest impact. 

Validity of PAYS 

To ensure the validity of the PAYS, more than 14,300 students reflective of varying urban, suburban, and rural demographics were randomly selected to participate in the 2005 survey analysis.  Pennsylvania outcomes were then measured against national outcomes in the “Monitoring the Future” study conducted by the University of Michigan. Findings show that PAYS has high validity. 

Understanding PAYS Findings
 

What are risk factors?

Risk factors are elements in a young person’s environment that increase the likelihood of he or she engaging in problem behaviors. Problem behaviors are specific behaviors that can adversely affect a young person growing into a caring, healthy adult. Some examples of risk factors are the availability of drugs and alcohol in the community, family conflict, academic failure, and antisocial behavior. Research has identified 20 risk factors that can reliably predict these five adolescent problem behaviors:

• Substance use

• Delinquency

• Dropping out of school

• Unplanned pregnancy

• Violence

Among the 20 risk factors shown by research to put youth at risk, the most prevalent in the Centre Region are: 

• Family management problems

• Low neighborhood attachment

• Low school attachment

• Sensation-seeking behaviors

• Transition and mobility

What are protective factors?
Protective factors are those factors in a young person’s environment that increase the likelihood that the young person will develop healthy, positive attitudes and behaviors. Examples of protective factors include intelligence, good social skills, family involvement, and positive messages that are communicated to youth by their family, school, and community. Protective factors help buffer risk factors so that adolescent can grow up healthy despite the presence of risk factors in their lives. Prevalent protective factors in the Centre Region are:

• Belief in the moral order

• Religiosity

• School opportunity for pro-social behavior

• Family rewards for pro-social behavior

Then what?

Once a community has prioritized the protective factors they want to enhance and the risk factors they want to reduce, they then implement tested effective programs designed to enhance specific protective factors and reduce specific risk factors. This allows communities use data about the youth in their communities and reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors in a systematic and targeted way. Here in the Centre Region, we have supported and/or implemented these programs:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters

• LifeSkills Training Program

• Strengthening Families

CENTRE REGION YOUTH SURVEY SUMMARY

Within the Communities that Care® model, national scientific research identifying risk factors that lead to health and behavior problems and protective factors that help youth deal with these influences are combined with local survey information into a public health model upon which specific intervention and prevention programs can be built. This is not a “quick-fix” model, but sustainable, community-wide change.

STEP 1: INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CENTRE REGION
(STATE COLLEGE) YOUTH ISSUES THROUGH THE YOUTH SURVEY AND OTHER COMMUNITY DATA.

BUILDING ON STRENGTHS: Our youth scored better than matched samples on all ten protective factors of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey:

More than half (58%) of our youth attend religious services or activities regularly (compared with 50% nationally and 56% for Pennsylvania youth).

Our youth received a score of 62 for important social skills (compared with a score of 50 nationally and 55 for Pennsylvania youth).

Most feel safe in their schools and communities

Each year, our 15- and 16-year olds do over 12,000 hours of community service.

Approximately 80-90% of high school students participate in athletics and other activities.

We have a very low rate of adolescent suicide.

Many of our youth have been recognized nationally and regionally for their academic, technical, vocational, artistic, and musical achievement.

In the 2002 Kids Count Report, our county was rated as "Performs much better than average," and "Performs better than average," on 15 of the 19 variables covered in the study.

B. ADDRESSING RISK

Many students report that they generally don’t feel attached to school. Our youth received a score of 46 for school commitment (compared with a score of 50 nationally and 47 for Pennsylvania youth).

Youth feel their community neighborhoods change too quickly. Our
youth received a score of 53 for community transitions and mobility (compared with a score of 50 nationally and 46 for Pennsylvania youth).

Alcohol Use:
—Many (83%) of 17- and 18-year olds reporting using alcohol
   at least once, with 55% reporting monthly use.
—About half (55%) of 14- and 15-year-olds report having at
   least one drink of alcohol, with 18% reporting monthly use.
—About a third (32%) of 11- and 12-year-olds report having
   at least one drink of alcohol, with 8% reporting monthly use.
—One-fifth (20%) of 17- and 18-year-olds report at least
   one drinking-and-driving incident.

Our youth are accepting of antisocial behavior by peers.

While only a few students (6%) say they have attacked someone with intent to harm in the past, it still poses an alarming statistic for our region.

STEP 2: PRIORITIZE ACTIONS BASED ON CURRENT RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS. WE WILL FOCUS ON ACHIEVING THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES TO STRENGTHEN THE PROTECTIVE FACTORS AND REDUCE THE RISK FACTORS REPORTED BY OUR YOUTH.

Decrease the effects of transition and mobility.

Increase neighborhood attachment.

Improve family management.

Decrease sensation-seeking.

Increase commitment to school.

STEP 3: SELECT AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS TO STRATEGICALLY ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES. THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED TO ADDRESS:

TRANSITION AND MOBILITY/LOW NEIGHBORHOOD ATTACHMENT
—McGruff Safe Houses
—Summer Library Program

FAMILY MANAGEMENT
—Families Who Care: Guiding Good Choices
—Living in Harmony Home School Project

SENSATION-SEEKING
—Climbing Wall
—Big Brother/Big Sister (JUMP Program)

LOW COMMITMENT TO SCHOOL
—Summer Reading and Math Program
—Living in Harmony Home School Project

By supporting these programs and by initiating others, the Care Partnership in the Centre Region is increasing the identified protective factors and reducing the risk factors our youth face every day.

By working together, we will reach our goal of a community built on respect,  honesty, responsibility, and caring for all.

It is important that everyone in the State College area be involved. Our children are our future leaders. Together we can make a difference in their lives, and ultimately, in our community.