One in 10 Jamaican secondary-school students said they had gone to school drunk, while a similar proportion reported attending under the influence of marijuana or other drugs, according to a national survey of student health.

The latest Global School based Student Health Survey, conducted at 32 high schools between January and March, also identified concerns about diet, physical activity, sleep and mental health.

The findings have relevance for Cayman because the Jamaican survey covered students aged 13 to 17. In Cayman, people under 18 are prohibited from buying or consuming alcohol, while Jamaican law prohibits licensed sellers from serving or selling alcohol to anyone under 18.

Uki Atkinson, an analyst at Jamaica’s National Council on Drug Abuse, said the findings showed that alcohol and drug use remained a concern in schools even as the council recorded an overall decline in teenage alcohol and cannabis use.

He said the results also pointed to wider problems involving diet, exercise, mental health and school performance, reinforcing the need for prevention efforts aimed at young people.

Survey highlights drug and alcohol use

The survey involved 3,058 students aged 13 to 17 and examined nine areas, including drug and alcohol use, diet, physical activity, mental health, sexual behaviour, violence and protective factors.

Atkinson said students continued to report alcohol and cannabis use despite what the NCDA regarded as progress from education and outreach programmes.

“One in 10 students reported that they went to school drunk, and one in 10 went to school under the influence of other drugs, which is probably more likely to be marijuana, but other drugs were included,” he said.

“We are seeing a decline in alcohol and cannabis use and an emergence, early though it may be, of Molly and ecstasy use,” Atkinson added.

The findings suggest prevention programmes may need to adjust as patterns of drug use among young people change.

For Cayman, the age of the students surveyed provides a useful regional comparison. Cayman law prohibits people under 18 from buying or consuming alcohol.

Diet and exercise raise concerns

The Jamaican survey also identified concerns about students’ diets.

Some 41% said they had eaten no fruit during the seven days before taking part, while 27% reported eating vegetables at least once a day.

About 32% said they ate salty foods or snacks at least once daily, while about half reported drinking soda at least once a day.

Atkinson said poor diet, low levels of physical activity and inadequate sleep could affect health and school performance.

The survey reported a decline of about 4% in physical activity, while many students were not getting an average of eight hours of sleep a night.

It also found that obesity among students had more than doubled compared with 2010, while the proportion classified as underweight had risen to 3.1% from 2.1%.

Mental health indicators had also worsened compared with the previous survey in 2017. More students reported seriously considering suicide, making a suicide plan or attempting suicide.

The findings show that concerns about student health extend beyond alcohol and drugs to nutrition, exercise, sleep and emotional wellbeing.

Minister cites uneven enforcement

Jamaica’s Health Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, said enforcement of the Government’s school nutrition policy depended in part on individual school leadership.

The policy restricts the sale of sugary drinks in schools, but Tufton said compliance varied.

“The ministries’ mandate and policy are very clear: both health and education, and indeed the Government, about the elimination of sugary drinks beyond a certain level,” he said.

“There are schools that are fully compliant where the principals and the board are on top of it and push the enforcement; it happens. Unfortunately, there are cases where that leadership doesn’t pay as much attention.”

Tufton said the health and education ministries conducted inspections but acknowledged that vendors operating immediately outside school grounds posed another challenge.

Dealing with those businesses could require action by municipal corporations and other government agencies, he said.

The issue has relevance for Cayman as policymakers consider how school health policies can influence young people’s choices both inside and outside school grounds.

Parents urged to stay involved

Atkinson said the findings also raised questions about parental involvement and supervision.

Only about 40% of students said their parents always knew what they were doing, while a similar proportion reported that their parents spent quality time with them.

“If we are not getting guidance from parents, we are getting guidance from other sources,” he said.

“Typically, when you have a PTA meeting, the parents who you need don’t come, so maybe we need to find a way to get to those parents.”

The NCDA said the survey would help inform future prevention work involving schools, families and public agencies.

For Cayman, the Jamaican findings do not establish how common the same behaviours are locally. They do, however, provide a regional benchmark for questions about underage drinking, drug prevention, nutrition, mental health and the role of parents and schools in identifying problems early.