PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Results from a Rhode Island Department of Health survey suggest teenagers in the state are making improvements in behaviors related to sexual activity, alcohol and illegal prescription drug usage. But there also are concerning trends.
High school students who reported that they had ridden in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking decreased from 28 percent in 2007 to 14 percent in 2017.
The percentage of middle school students who had ever had sex decreased from 15 percent in 2009 to 8 percent in 2017.
The percentage of high school students who had ever had sex decreased from 46 percent in 2007 to 36 percent in 2017.
Concerning trends cited in the report include 17 percent of all students surveyed reported that they had been bullied on school property.
Sixteen percent of Rhode Island high school students considered suicide in 2017, up 4 percent from 2007. The percent of high school students who reported attempting suicide in their lifetime increased from 9 percent in 2007 to 11 percent in 2017.
The survey, released Wednesday, is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and multiple state agencies.
Data is collected every two years through anonymous questionnaires at public schools, with the most recent data collected from January to May 2017.
