The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) jointly released the 2023 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS) results on Friday, December 15, 2023. The MIYHS data provides schools with up-to-date trends around health behaviors and experiences for Maine middle school and high school students. Results of the survey also give educators an important snapshot of adolescent well-being connected to key health topics.
Maine schools play a critical role in shaping mental, physical, and social growth among our youth. The MIYHS results highlight an increasing need for quality, comprehensive health education and the implementation of proven strategies to educate the whole child. Questions on the survey address behaviors connected to substance use, nutrition, physical activity, sexual behavior, health status, and protective factors, to name a few. The MIYHS highlights trending topics in the areas of mental health, suicide ideation, depression, specific health conditions (diabetes, asthma, obesity), housing stability, and school connectedness.
Building on our understanding of young people’s environments can only expand our opportunities to improve the world around them. The MIYHS results serve as a mechanism to help guide our work in education, to provide resources for students around healthy decision-making, and to deliver tools to young people for the navigation of their pre-teen and teenage years. In 2023, 77% of high schoolers reported having a connection to a teacher who cares about them and supports them (up from 73% in 2021). Maine high schools can utilize this data to make connections with their students and provide programming to connect with a higher percentage of students. Additionally, vaping use decreased significantly with students who indicated they had vaped at least one time (29% in 2021 to 16% in 2023). The messaging being shared around the dangers of vaping is growing and could impact strategies for the reduction of other harmful behaviors.
Findings from the MIYHS data continue to expose concern for marginalized populations (gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity). Students continue to experience varying levels of trauma and distress with substance use and abuse, mental health, access to essential services, and protective factors. An understanding of what Maine students encounter in their daily lives can assist adults in furnishing the resources necessary to improve all areas of health and wellness for young people.
The Maine Department of Education and Office of School and Student Supports have multiple resources for making connections between youth and adults. The materials are centered on supporting mental health, strengthening relationships, and improving overall health. Helping our students develop skills and connections that can protect them from unhealthy behaviors is essential now more than ever.
To find out more about MIYHS and view 2023 results, please visit: https://www.maine.gov/miyhs/
Other Resources:
- Maine Department of Education SEL & Emotional Intelligence Developing and practicing health social and emotional teaching and learning.
- Sources of Strength A student-led school culture program that brings together trained adult advisors and peer leaders to create campaigns for the school community that focus on positive, uplifting and hopeful messaging.
- Mental Health Promotion Toolkit These materials provide information on mental health promotion, tips for addressing health disparities, and roadmaps for implementing innovative strategies to improve mental health and substance use prevention efforts in schools. For more information about the Maine Pediatric and Behavioral Health Partnership Program, please call 1-833-MPBHP11 (1-833-672-4711) or contact Melissa Maurais at Maurais@maine.gov
Contact DOESchoolandStudentSupports@Maine.gov with any questions.