Health Department’s Just Say Yes Coalition Shares 2024 Youth Survey Data 

Increases in activity participation, improvements in mental health follow Yes Card expansion

Frankfort, KY – This spring, nearly 2,000 middle & high school students took the anonymous Franklin County Youth Survey, which monitors adolescent substance use, physical and mental health, and many other factors that can impact the likelihood youth will engage in risky behaviors. Data from the survey shows improvements in nearly all areas of youth’s wellbeing and environments in Franklin County. This year marks the fourth consecutive school year that the survey has been completed by Franklin County Youth.

Changes at the middle school level were especially promising. 80% of 7th & 8th graders in public school in Franklin County took the survey (compared to 51% of 9th-12th graders), and this is also the first school year that the Yes Card, a digital voucher that pays for extracurricular activity fees, has been available to all public middle school students in the county. 

Both the Yes Card and the survey are administered through Just Say Yes, a prevention coalition headquartered at the Franklin County Health Department.

The new data shows that many more middle schoolers are participating in extracurricular activities this year. Overall, 62% of middle school respondents participate at least once/week in some kind of out-of-school time activity supervised by adults, up from 50% last year. Participation in such activities has been shown to decrease risk of substance use among youth.

The increase in participation included increases across activity types. Compared to last year, this year’s 7th & 8th graders were more likely to participate at least weekly in each of the following: school sports (12% more likely), art, music, drama or dance (13% more likely), volunteering (110% more likely), and faith-based groups (17%). Physical activity also increased; the proportion of students who got an hour or more of exercise at least three times per week increased by 34%.  

Middle schoolers also made significant gains in other areas, including:

• Perception of risk: The proportion of students who believe that substance use poses significant risks of physical injury or other harms to the user increased, ranging from a 22% increase in perceived risk from marijuana use to a 25% increase in perceived risk from prescription drug misuse to a 50% increase in perceived risk from binge drinking.
• Parental acceptance of substance use: The percentage of students who said their parents “wouldn’t care” if they used substances decreased significantly, including a 50% reduction in such attitudes for both marijuana and e-cigarettes.
• School engagement and belonging: Nearly all measures of students’ engagement, relationships and wellbeing at school improved, including a 23% increase in students reporting that kids are generally nice to each other at school.
• Mental health: Most measures of mental health improved, including an 8% increase in students reporting that their mental health is good or very good, a 25% decrease in students reporting persistent feelings of worthlessness, and a 50% reduction in the percentage of students who reported having attempted suicide.

Just Say Yes Project Director Amelia Berry draws two main conclusions from this year’s data.

“First, we should recognize and celebrate the clear pattern of improvements in outcomes and environments of youth in Franklin County,” said Berry. “The efforts of so many – from parents to teachers to coaches to social service organizations to youth themselves and beyond – are resulting in positive changes for our kids, so we can’t let up.” 

“And secondly, we have to recognize that much work remains to achieve our goal of a community where all kids have the opportunities and support they need to grow up healthy and drug-free.”

Specifically, Berry points to continued challenges with mental health despite improvements. For instance, even though girls’ mental health improved more than boys’ this year, just 49% of 7th & 8th grade girls said their mental health was good or very good, compared to 67% of boys. 

Likewise, though the proportion of students saying kids at school are nice to each other increased this year, the measure still stands at an abysmal 27% for middle schoolers. 

Finally, while over 90% of students report high levels of parental support and monitoring, demonstrating that the vast majority of Franklin County parents care for, show up for and look out for their kids, high rates of social media usage, more kids staying out late, and fewer kids getting enough sleep suggest that caregivers could use more support navigating the many novel challenges of modern parenting.

Data summaries are available on the Just Say Yes coalition’s website (www.justsayyesky.org) and facebook page (www.facebook.com/just-say-yes-ky). Anyone interested in scheduling a data presentation for their group, or becoming a sponsor for the Yes Card program, should contact Berry at [email protected].