New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey
The New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey is a survey of public high school students (grades 9-12) and public middle school students (grades 6-8). The survey includes questions about risk behaviors which are behaviors contributing to unintentional injury; behaviors associated with violence; mental health, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts; alcohol, tobacco and drug use; sexual activity; and physical activity, nutrition, and body weight, and resiliency (protective) factors.
Risk Factors Vs. Protective Factors
Youth injury prevention includes looking closely at each community, noting the risk factors that put children in harm's way for injury and violence. Risk factors include a lack of parental involvement and adult supervision, and growing up in an environment with alcohol/drug abuse and violence. Poverty puts children and all family members at increased risk for injury and violence.
Protective factors (also called Resiliency Factors) are vital in a child's life. Children need a strong healthy emotional attachment to a parent (and other caring adults like teachers), as well as parental involvement and adult supervision. Children need access to safe learning environments and places to play. The promotion of protective factors in every community is a key component to youth injury prevention.
Parents can play a vital role in youth injury prevention as advocates
Youth and Parents as Advocates
Reaching Young People
Children and teens need practical information about injury prevention. The injuries and their prevention strategies that need to be addressed range from bike and motor vehicle safety to drug abuse prevention to the complex arena of violence prevention. Evidence-based strategies, including policies and programs focusing on environmental factors, are key components of injury prevention.
Parents as Advocates for Youth Injury Prevention
Parents are the first and foremost health and safety educators of their children. This means that moms, dads (and guardians, foster parents, and grandparents) are key partners in youth injury prevention. Research indicates that the attachment between parent and child, and the involvement and supervision by parents can have a strong impact on the child’s ability to make healthy, safer choices—and thereby to avoid risk and injury.
Parents can take practical steps to prevent the injuries that are most common in childhood including motor vehicle injuries, suffocation, and firearm-related injuries. As children start school they also may be exposed to various levels of bullying, harassment, and physical violence in the community. Family rules, school policies, and laws need to address a number of issues including:
- Bike and skateboard helmets
- Seat belts
- Prescription and over-the-counter drug safety
- Toy safety
- Bullying, harassment, and violence
- Prescription drug safety
Teens and Evidence-Based Policies and Programs
Teens face challenges as they increasingly seek independence. A young person’s need for independence is normal but risky behaviors in unsafe environments can lead to injury. Young people need support, respect, guidelines, rules, mentors, safe places to learn and socialize, and supervision.
Risk-taking is a part of growing up but the risks can be minimized with passage and enforcement of evidence-based policies and programs that address:
- Car safety
- Bike and skateboard helmets
- Gun storage and safety
- Prescription and over-the-counter drug safety
- Alcohol use and binge drinking prevention
- Illegal drug use prevention
- Bullying and harassment prevention
- Healthy relationships (including emotional health and sexuality)
- Intimate partner violence/teen dating violence
- Emotional health and suicide prevention
Teens and Young Adults As Advocates for Injury and Violence Prevention
Young people, given the right resources and support, make effective educators and advocates in all areas of youth injury prevention--especially the prevention of youth violence. Empowering young people requires the commitment of schools and youth-serving organizations. Young people are often some of the most effective educators as they work with peers and younger students.
Measuring the Risks
The New Mexico Department of Health's Youth Risk and Resiliency Study (YRRS), a collaborative project of the NM Departments of Health and Public Education, provides a view of the risks that New Mexico's young people are facing. The study asks middle and high school students questions related to school safety, alcohol use, tobacco use, prescription drug use, illegal drug use, suicidal ideation and attempts, seat belt and bicycle helmet use, feeling protected and supported, and other risk behaviors and protective factors. The responses to these questions help form prevention policies, programs, and areas of focus for youth injury prevention.
Youth injury prevention requires evidence-based policies at state and local levels. Parents and young people are important partners in supporting such policies, working as advocates for youth injury prevention. Prevention efforts also include ongoing public education and outreach, customized to meet the needs of each community. Promoting safety messages, strategies, and evidence-based policies require that local community advocates (including parents, teens, and young adults) develop strategies to reach four distinct groups: young people, parents, community educators (including school staff and health care providers of youth), and policy makers.
For information about youth and parent injury prevention education please contact the Office of Injury Prevention team.
"Comprehensive prevention of youth violence requires addressing the issue at all four levels of human ecology--individual, interpersonal, family, and community."
Youth Violence in New Mexico: An Assessment of Indicators, Policies, Resources, and Community Readiness, NM Department of Health, 2005
Copyright 2008 New Mexico Department of Health - Injury Prevention