Public Health-Seattle/King County Introduces New School District Health Profiles

In collaboration with King County school districts, Public Health – Seattle & King County is developing school district health profiles that will inform school administrators and policy-makers, health and wellness planners, and the public about school health indicators.  The primary data source for the reports is the Healthy Youth Survey (HYS), administered every 2 years to 6^th, 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th graders.   Each profile includes:

• Demographics of HYS respondents
• For all districts, results on key indicators of obesity, physical activity, dietary behavior, mental health, personal safety and violence, alcohol, tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke, and other drug use.
• District-specific data on three additional indicators, selected by each school district.  Examples include:
  
  • Never or rarely eats dinner with family.
  • Having adults to turn to for help when feeling sad or hopeless.
  • Condom use at last intercourse.

By mid-2014, health profiles had been released for 7 of King County’s 19 school districts, most in the southern part of the county. One result that caught the attention of district administrators was that, county-wide, more than 1 in 4 students reported that they “did not eat breakfast today.”