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Needham survey shows declines in youth vaping and marijuana use but flags alcohol and mental-health risks
Summary
Public health staff and the Substance Prevention Alliance of Needham presented 2023 Metro West Adolescent Health Survey results to the Select Board, reporting decreases in vaping and marijuana use, continued high alcohol rates and troubling mental-health indicators including suicidal behavior among middle- and high-school students.
Needham public health officials and youth services leaders told the Select Board on Feb. 25 that results from the Metro West Adolescent Health Survey show declines in use of electronic vaping products and marijuana among Needham high school students, but sustained high alcohol rates and persistent mental-health concerns.
The survey, administered every other year and in which Needham has participated since 2006, had participation rates of about 90 percent in middle school and 85 percent in high school, presenters said. Julie McCarthy, epidemiologist in the Public Health Division, and Karen Shannon, the town’s substance use prevention coordinator, emphasized that the 2023 instrument added a question about prescription drug use for the first time, so there is no prior-year comparison for that measure.
The data show continuing decreases in current 30‑day use of marijuana and electronic…
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