The Well-Being of Ontario Students: Findings from the 2021 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey

This report was published by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) is a population survey of Ontario students in grades 7 through 12. The OSDUHS began in 1977 and is the longest ongoing school survey in Canada—and one of the longest in the world. This self-administered, anonymous survey is conducted across the province every two years with the purpose of identifying epidemiological trends in student drug use, mental health, physical health, gambling, bullying, and other risk behaviours, as well as identifying risk and protective factors. Typically, the OSDUHS surveys thousands of students in over 200 elementary and secondary schools across Ontario.

This survey provides current and reliable information about the health risk behaviours, attitudes, and beliefs of Ontario adolescents, and it tracks changes over time. OSDUHS findings have been widely used by health, education, and government officials in setting health priorities and facilitating preventative policies, programs, and services that address youth needs.

This report provides an overview of the main findings from the 2021 OSDUHS cycle and comparisons with 2019 where possible. New topics in the 2021 OSDUHS report include disordered eating, loneliness, exposure to cannabis advertising, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Categorised in: Report