On September 21st, 2022, the New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC) released key observations regarding the results from the 2021-2022 edition of the New Brunswick Student Wellness Survey. This Survey is conducted on an annual basis in all public schools. Its objective is to evaluate the wellness of students directly from their perspective.
Over 42,000 students in grades 6 to 12 responded to the Survey during the 2021-2022 school year. They answered questions about their social and emotional development, physical health, substance use, as well as their experiences at school and in the community.
The NBHC has drawn the following key observations from their responses:
- The proportion of students who reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression has increased.
- Few students follow the recommendations for healthy lifestyles.
- Students who identify as non-binary, Two-Spirit, and all other gender non-conforming identities report poorer mental and physical health outcomes than students who identified as boys or girls.
- Smoking, as well as alcohol and cannabis consumption, among students has decreased.
“It is becoming increasingly concerning to see that the number of students indicating signs of depression and anxiety is rising. Results show that the percentage of students following healthy lifestyle guidelines has decreased. All the factors have a great incidence on their average life satisfaction”, explains Stéphane Robichaud, CEO of the NBHC.
“Results from our latest edition of the survey should be interpreted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic” adds, Robichaud. “Our education system along with our health system has adapted and has had to evolve in response to the ongoing pandemic”
The results from the 2021-22 edition of the Student Wellness Survey, along with all featured materials about key observations, will be accessible on our website at: www.nbhc.ca/sws/21-22. In addition, NBHC’s new interactive web platform enables citizens to compare results from the different cycles of the New Brunswick Student Wellness Survey, as well as across the various health zones in the province.
For more information about the New Brunswick Health Council: www.nbhc.ca
For interview requests, please contact:
Nay O’Leary
Communications & Digital Content Specialist
Phone: 506-869-6870
Email: Nay.O’Leary@nbhc.ca