Mr. Speaker, healthy behaviours and healthy choices are fundamental to a good education and superior quality of life. Schools offer a significant opportunity to educate young people about healthy lifestyles and to foster healthy behaviours. In the Northwest Territories, schools play a strong central role in health promotion. While we develop the programs that foster these healthy behaviours, we must first understand what our young people think about their health, their challenges and their choices. The Health and Health-Related Behaviours Among Young People in the Northwest Territories is our students’ voice about their health and their experience in NWT communities.
This report has been done every four years since 1989, but until now, all of the reports have combined NWT numbers with the rest of Canada. The new report is the first time we have had data for our territory. Led by researchers at Queen’s University and the Public Health Agency of Canada, the report covers students aged 11 to 15.
The report presents data on the health of young people in the categories of mental health, environmental influences, health promoting behaviours and health risk behaviours. The data show that our young people share similar patterns with their counterparts in the rest of Canada, and those issues like bullying and substance abuse are as relevant here as down south. The data also show that mental health, relationships with others, and obesity and overweight issues need particular attention in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, the departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services will be using the important baseline information in the report to build strong, targeted programming. This is valuable information and a great insight into how our children perceive themselves. Later today I will be tabling this report.
Many of the programs we have in place work to change risky behaviour patterns in our students, and this report will serve to not only reinforce those programs, but give us the ability to act in areas where our children have told us they need it most. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Colleagues, before we go on today, I would like to welcome back to the House, two former Ministers and one former Speaker, David Krutko, and Ms. Sandy Lee. Good to have them back in the House.
