Assessing Drug Use by Rural Youth in East Central Saskatchewan

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Final reports from     this research project	Collection of fact sheets   from this research project	Collection of posters    from this research project

Alberta Centre for Activing Living Research Update article - 2008

This project, also known as Rural Youth Risk Behaviours and Healthy Lifestyles Project, was funded by Health Canada through the Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund.  This project took place between September 2005 and March 31, 2008.  The overall goal of this project was to assess healthy lifestyles and risk behaviours of youth in rural Saskatchewan.  This information will be useful for health and education professionals, community organizations and policy makers in their efforts to encourage healthy lifestyles and reduce risk behaviours, including drug use in the region. 

The project involved a number of initiatives including:

1.      Forming a steering committee with key community partners from health, education, social services and justice sectors.

2.      Interviews with Key Informants.  These were professionals working as service providers for rural youth dealing with substance abuse issues (tobacco, drugs and alcohol).

3.      A survey administered in the classrooms of 954 youth in grades 7 to 12 in 34 schools in rural Saskatchewan, Canada.  All of these communities were classed as rural with populations less than 5500. 

4.      Focus groups with 25 rural youth in three high schools who had participated in the questionnaire.

5.      Information nights in communities to present the results of the key informant interviews, questionnaires and focus groups and to discuss the issues with community members.

6.      Planning sessions with communities interested in developing strategies to encourage healthy lifestyles and reduce risky behaviours for rural youth.