Adults say physical inactivity, childhood obesity, unhealthy eating and internet safety top the list of health issues facing Sask. youth
A new survey reveals the top concerns among adults in Saskatchewan when it comes to children and teens’ overall well-being. Physical inactivity and childhood obesity top the list as the most significant concerns among adults in the province (84 per cent). Around the same number (83 per cent) feel that unhealthy eating habits are concerning. Bullying, cyberbullying and school violence were also among the top five (82 per cent).
As more children have access to the internet and social media at school and via smartphones, many adults in the province also expressed concerns about safety online. Eight in 10 (84 per cent) sited internet safety as a problem for youth.
“The survey results offer a valuable sense of both the concerns in the province and what our priorities as a community can be in addressing the health problems faced by children and adolescents in Saskatchewan today,” says Gianni Del Negro, Pharmacist with London Drugs.
The poll, conducted by Insights West on behalf of London Drugs, asked both parents and non parents to identify problematic health-related concerns for children and teens as the new school year begins.
The first month of a new school year can be an especially challenging time for kids with new teachers, new classmates, more challenging curriculum, and all of the social pressures that come along with that. About seven in 10 (71 per cent) adults in the province feel that stress is a problem for youth.
A host of substance abuse issues were high on the list of concerns as well, including alcohol and drug use (75 per cent) and smoking (68 per cent).
“There is cause for concern about substance use especially given the vulnerability of young people and the accessibility of certain drugs,” explains Del Negro. “In fact, many prescription drugs that have a high potential for misuse come from the medicine cabinets of friends and families. Cleaning out your medicine cabinet and safely disposing of unused and expired medications at the pharmacy is one way we can all help reduce the potential harms.”
Vaccine Preventable Illnesses Concerning
In light of the recent measles case in Saskatchewan, it is unsurprising that six in 10 (64 per cent) adults in the province feel that vaccine preventable illnesses are a concern for children and teens.
“The resurgence of measles over the last year have underscored the importance of vaccinations for children,” says Del Negro. “By vaccinating your own child you are not only protecting them but also helping to keep others in the community safe, especially newborns and people who have underlying illness and can’t be vaccinated.”
Even though influenza causes more hospitalizations among children than any other vaccine-preventable disease, just over 50 per cent (55 per cent) of adults in Saskatchewan see cold and flu as a health problem for children heading back to school.
“A lot of people might think that the flu is only deadly for elderly patients with underlying health conditions. In fact, complications from the flu can also be fatal for children including those who are otherwise healthy,” says Del Negro adding that last year’s flu season was particularly hard on children.
Last flu season there were 2170 lab-confirmed cases of influenza in Saskatchewan of which almost half occurred among those under the age of 19.
“Getting the flu vaccine might be the single most important thing you can do for children to prevent flu illness, missed school days, doctor’s visits, flu-related hospitalizations and even death from severe complications,” he says.