ERIC Number: EJ1372620
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0268-1153
EISSN: EISSN-1465-3648
Shifting School Health Priorities Pre-Post Cannabis Legalization in Canada: Ontario Secondary School Rankings of Student Substance Use as a Health-Related Issue
Butler, Alexandra; Doggett, Amanda; Vermeer, Julianne; Magier, Megan; Patte, Karen A.; Maginn, Drew; Markham, Chris; Leatherdale, Scott T.
Health Education Research, v37 n6 p393-404 Dec 2022
This study examined how schools prioritize ten key health concerns among their student populations over time and whether schools' prioritization of alcohol and other drug use (AODU) corresponds to students' substance use behaviours and cannabis legalization as a major policy change. Data were collected from a sample of secondary schools in Ontario, Canada across four years (2015/16-2018/19 [N[superscript 2015/16] = 65, N[superscript 2016/17] = 68, N[superscript 2017/18] = 61 and N2018/19 = 60]) as a part of the COMPASS study. School-level prevalence of cannabis and alcohol use between schools that did and did not prioritize student AODU as a health concern was examined. Ordinal mixed models examined whether student cannabis and alcohol use were associated with school prioritization of AODU. Chi-square tests examined changing health priorities among schools pre-post cannabis legalization. School priority ranking for AODU was mostly stable over time. While AODU was identified as an important health concern, most schools identified mental health as their first priority across the four years of the study. No significant changes to school AODU priorities were observed pre--post cannabis legalization nor was school prioritization of AODU associated with student cannabis and alcohol use behaviours. This study suggests that schools may benefit from guidance in identifying and addressing priority health concerns among their student population.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Secondary Schools, Marijuana, Laws, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse, Student Behavior, Mental Health, Needs Assessment, Health Behavior
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A