Regional Prevention Center of Wyandotte County

Wyandotte County 2007 Community Risk andResource Assessment

Research has shown that adolescents in high-risk environments have increased levels of substance abuse, violence, delinquency, teen pregnancy and school dropout. In order for a community to build an effective prevention strategy, they need to have an accurate picture of prevalent risk factors for adolescent problem behaviors as well as information on what resources are available to address the risks and enhance protective factors. The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Office of Prevention collects and analyzes data at the county level to measure the incidence and prevalence of these problems.

In order to prioritize the risks for effective program planning, the level of risk is measured by indicators which have been proven to have a high correlation to the risk factor. Data includes information gathered through a survey of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12, and archival data.

Community Risk Factors

Low Neighborhood Attachment and Community Disorganization

• 36.7% of students in 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades report that they would like to get out of their neighborhood. This compares to a state average of 26.6%.
• In describing their neighborhood, 28.6% reported that there is crime and drug selling where they live; 31.2% report fights, while 31.9% report that they do not feel safe in their neighborhood. These are significantly higher than state averages of 10.9%, 14.5%, and 12.9%, respectively.

Transitions and Mobility

• 29% of students have changed schools in the past year and 73.4% have changed schools since kindergarten. These are significantly higher than the state averages of 16.7% and 60.5%.
• The number of new residents minus the number of residents moved out of the county has been a negative since 1989. In 2005, the last year in which data was collected, the total for Wyandotte County was -4.73 per thousand, an improvement over previous years, but still lower to the state average of 3.35 per thousand.

Community Protective Factors

Opportunities for Conventional Involvement

• 32.2% of students say there are lots of adults in their neighborhood they could talk with about something important. This compares to 44.9% of students in the state.
• When asked which activities are available in the community, 72.4% say sports teams; 57% say Boys and Girls clubs; 40.7% say scouting; 27.7% say 4-H Clubs; 40.6% say service clubs. A higher percentage of students across the state report greater access to all activities.

Rewards for Conventional Involvement

• 23.5% of students believe that their neighbors notice when they do a good job and let them know about it, compared to a state average of 29.9%.
• 41.1% of students think there are people in their neighborhood who are proud of them when they do something well, compared to a state average of 56.1%.
  

Family Risk Factors

Family Management

• If students drank alcohol without permission, 50.5% think they would not be caught by their parents, compared to 43.3% of students across the state.
• 34.2% of students believe that their parents would not catch them if they skipped school, compared with a state average of 20.2%.
• If a student carried a handgun to school, 30.3% think they would be caught by their parents, compared to 20.9% throughout the state.

• The rate of children (age 0-17) living in foster care is 10.05 per thousand

History of Antisocial Behavior

• 36.3% of students say that someone in their family has had a severe alcohol or drug problem, while the average for the state is 28.4%.
• When asked whether a sibling has smoked marijuana, 27.1% say yes compared to 18.7% of students in the state survey.

Family Protective Factors

Family Attachment

• 73.2% of students In Wyandotte County said they could talk to their mom or dad about a personalproblem, compared to 80.7% in the state.
• 59.6% of students responded that their parents ask them before making family decisions concerning them, comapred to 64.7% in the state.
• Only 42.10% of students say that they feel close to their fathers, share time with fathers, and share thoughts and feelings with fathers tcompared to the state average of 54.2%.

Peer/Individual Risk Factors

Interaction with Antisocial Peers (Also see Facts about Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use)

• 58.5% have a best friend who has been suspended from school in the past 12 months, compared to the state average of 28.7%.
• 15.5% have a best friend who has carried a handgun to school, compared to the state average of 7.7%.
• 27.6% have a best friend who has been arested, compared to the state average of 15.9%.
• 13.7% have a best friend who has tried to steal a car or motorcycle, compared to 1the state average of 6.2%.

Perceived Risks of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs Use

• 77.6% of students believe people risk harming themselves if they try marijuana once or twice while 83.8% believe people risk harming themselves if they smoke marijuana regularly. The state averages are higher - at 83.2% and 91.9%.

Early Initiation of Problem Behavior

• 8.12 out of 1000 students drop out of school prior to the 9th grade. (Results from 7-8 grade students.)

Peer/Individual Protective Factors

Belief in Moral Order

• 67.2% of students say it is all right to beat up another person if that person started the fight
• 16.3% say it is okay to take something without asking if you can get away with it
• Cheating at school is okay to 34.2% of students.

Social Skills

• When offered a drink by a friend, 73.3% of students say they would refuse the offer
• If intentionally bumped by a teen they don't know, 79.2% say they would keep on walking.

School Risk Factors

Academic Failure

• 3.9% of students report that their grades last year were mostly D's, compared to 2.9% of students across the state.
• When asked if their grades are better than most students in their class, 41.3% say no compared to 37.2% of students across the state.

School Commitment

• 8.1% of students think their classes are very dull, compared to 7.8% statewide.
• Only 5.6% say they never feel that school assignments are meaningful and important, compared to 6.3% statewide.
• 96.9% say that what they're learning in school is important for their later life, compared to 97% statewide.

School Protective Factors

Opportunities for Conventional Involvement

• Wyandotte County students report that 43.1% are asked to work on special projects, compared to 38.3% statewide. However students report slightly fewer opportunities to decide things like class activities and rules, to talk with a teacher one-on-one, to get involved in activities outside of class, and to be part of class activities than other Kansas students.

Rewards for Conventional Involvement

• 71.2% of students say they feel safe at school compared to 85.1% of other students in Kansas. Both students in Wyandotte County and across the state have been steadily feeling safer in schools since 1999.
• 47.6% of students say that teachers praise them when they work hard in school. Compared to 53.2% of students statewide.

Facts About Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use

Tobacco: Smokeless Tobacco and Cigarettes

• Average Age of First Use for cigarettes is 11.7 years. An average of 34.6% of Wyandotte County 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders has smoked a cigarette at least once and 11.1% have used smokeless tobacco at least once. In the past 30 days, 11.4% smoked cigarettes and 4.7% used smokeless tobacco. Although these percentages are declining, the age of initiation remains constant.
• Availability 28% of students report that cigarettes are very easy to obtain. This represents a reduction in perceived availability from the 43.9% who thought it was very easy in 2002.
• Community Laws and Norms 93.3% feel that most adults in their neighborhood would think it is wrong for kids their age to smoke cigarettes.
• Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior 36.1% have at least one friend who has smoked in the past year.
• Favorable Attitudes Toward Problem Behavior 93.2% of students think that it is wrong for someone their age to smoke cigarettes, and 96.9% think that they will not be seen as cool for smoking a cigarette. This represents a reduction in favorable attitudes over the past 5 years.

Alcohol

• Average Age of First Use is 13.4 years, and 13.33 years is average age of regular use (at least once or twice a month). An average of 53.6% of 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students report using alcohol at least once; 68.5% of 12th grade students report alcohol use in their lifetime. All these percentages are slowly decreasing.
• Availability 22.0% of students think it is very easy to obtain alcohol. This is a major decrease from the 33.4% who thought it was very easy in 2002.
• Community Laws and Norms 72.5% do not think they would be caught by police for drinking alcohol. About 5.7% of high school students in Wyandotte County report that their neighbors would not think it was wrong for students their age to drink alcohol. 66.2% of students know an adult in the community who has gotten drunk or high in the past year.
• Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior 52.2% report that at least one of their friends has tried alcohol in the past year when their parents didn't know about it.
• Favorable Attitudes Toward Problem Behavior 90.3% of students feel that it is wrong for their peers to drink alcohol regularly, while only 5.1% think they would be seen as cool for drinking alcohol regularly.

Drugs: Marijuana, LSD, Cocaine and Inhalants

• Average Age of First Use of marijuana is 12.7 years. An average of 25.4% of 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade students have used marijuana; 3.2% have used meth, 4.8% have used cocaine; 13.4% have used inhalants.
• Availability 49.9% of 12th grade students think it would be very easy to obtain marijuana and 16.2% believe it would be easy to obtain a drug like cocaine, LSD or meth.
• Community Laws and Norms While only 4.2% of students think their neighbors would approve of them using marijuana, 54.6% report that they know an adult who used drugs (marijuana, crack, cocaine, or other drugs) in the past year and 41.8% know an adult who has sold drugs in that time.
• Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior 38.2% of students reported that at least one of their best friends has smoked marijuana in the past year. 15.7% say that one of their best friends used LSD, cocaine, amphetamines or other illegal drugs in the past year. 16.1% say that one of their best friends has sold drugs in the past year. This has decreased from 20.6% to15.9% in Wyandotte County. Furthermore, it a 10,9% reduction across the state has been calculated.
• Favorable Attitudes Toward Problem Behavior 92.3% of students think it is wrong for their peers to use marijuana and 97.9% think it is wrong for their peers to use other illegal drugs. Despite the large number of students who think it is wrong, 8% of students still believe they would be seen as cool if they smoked marijuana.