OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Every two years, Ottawa County releases a comprehensive survey to better understand how to adapt and help the county's youth. It covers everything from mental health to driving, and everything in between that could be risk factors for young people. On Wednesday, the results were announced.
The Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey, or (YAS), is unique to the lakeshore county, and it's an extremely important resource for schools, parents, and the community.
The YAS is a locally developed, 200-question survey, and was first administered in 2005. It's given to 8th, 10th and 12th graders every other year.
Prior to 2005, there wasn't a consistent or reliable way to find out about the needs and strengths of teens within the county. Several organizations recognized this gap and worked together to review existing surveys already considered valid and reliable. From that review, a survey tool was developed specifically for Ottawa County that could also be responsive to future needs of local teens.
There is a YAS Committee that oversees and organizes administering the survey and pulling together the data.
The 2021 YAS shows data about the health behaviors of more than 5,000 young people in Ottawa County. Results were significant, especially when it came to mental health.
"This is definitely one of the more prevalent and pressing issues that we face today," said Derel Glashower, YAS Committee Member and Epidemiologist with Ottawa County. "And our data shows that bullying is still a significant problem both on the internet and on school property."
2021 was the ninth year of the Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey, and it included one new question that asked about sexual orientation. The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual (LGB) question was added to the Sexual Health Section, which districts can opt-out of, but a majority of them did have students participate.
"Our committee was happy that we were able to put this on the survey," said YAS Committee Member, Stacey Sills, "so we could get that data and really recognize all of our students."
Those results showed a significant amount of bullying and mental health struggle within the LGB community.
There were a few other major takeaways as well.
"Results showed that the amount of screen time is increasing, and research shows that the amount of screen time could have an impact on that person's mental health," Derel Glashower explained.
"We also found that the number of kids that identify as overweight or obese is much higher than years in the past," he added, "and some of the highest that we've seen to date."
But Stacey Sills said there were also a lot of positive parts of the data. Results showed that fewer teens had sex in 2021, fewer teens used substances, and the percentage of teens that reported having adult support for their physical needs was 92%.
Another positive, no teen suicides were reported in Ottawa County during the entire year of 2021. There were three reported in 2020.
Leaders from all over the county were in attendance for the release of the survey results Wednesday, from the Ottawa County Sheriff to county board members, and district superintendents. At the end of the presentation, guests shared how they'll use the information that was presented.
Some answered that it will help better determine budgetary needs, further education for best practices, and even start discussions with fellow board members.
The YAS is a large source of information and data, and if you want to take a closer look for yourself, you can read all the questions and answers by clicking here.
You can also read all of the YAS FAQ by clicking here.
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