Student survey reveals insight into mental and physical wellbeing of children and teens in Mid West

Almost a third of high-school aged girls in the Mid West reported “low life satisfaction”, which was a much higher rate than their female peers across the State, according to a wide-ranging survey. The Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People released the results of its WA survey, which revealed Mid West students care more about staying physically active than those across the rest of the State, with their biggest concern being school and study problems. Data from the 2021 Speaking Out Survey has given a critical insight into the wellbeing of young people in WA, surveying 16,532 students from Years 4 to 12 at 94 schools. In the Mid West, 989 students took part in the survey, revealing some distressing truths. One of those included 31.8 per cent of female secondary students in the Mid West reporting low life satisfaction, a higher result than the Statewide figure of 25.5 per cent. This startling statistic was also significantly higher than the 9.2 per cent of high-school aged boys in the Mid West also experiencing the same feeling. The survey also found 58.5 per cent of Aboriginal students in Years 4 to 6 in the Mid West reported they had been bullied by students from their school, compared to 39.6 per cent of non-Aboriginal students. Another finding was that 14.5 per cent of Year 4 to 6 students in the Mid West do not like school compared to just 8.7 of their Statewide peers. Similarly, only 34.3 per cent of Mid West students are planning on attending university, compared to 51 per cent of others across the State. The report indicated a majority of kids in the region are living healthy and happy lives with many students reporting their home lives were stable, they stayed active and know where to access support in times of hardship. The Mid West region had the highest proportion of kids who cared about staying physically fit with 60.3 per cent compared to other regions which recorded just 56.7 per cent. Almost three-quarters of Year 4 to 12 Mid West students say their family gets along very well or well, which is on par for the rest of the State except for the Goldfields which recorded just 35.65 per cent. More than one half (55.8 per cent) of secondary students in the Mid West reported physical activity, sport or exercise is “definitely” an important part of their life. Almost one third (32.6 per cent) of female secondary students reported feeling safe in their local area only sometimes or less, compared to 19.4 per cent of their male peers. More than half (52.3 per cent) of kids are eating breakfast everyday and 65.1 per cent reported brushing their teeth twice or more the previous day. Year 9 to Year 12 Mid West students said school and study problems (84.4 per cent) were their biggest stressor, followed by mental health and wellbeing, family conflict, body image and problems with friends. WA’s Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones said the report, tabled in Parliament last week, was not intended to “name and shame any particular region” but to guide future planning to support children. “This report will be invaluable to government and non-government organisations in each region of WA to assist them in the planning and delivery of programs and services that affect children and young people,” she said. Feedback from the survey revealed participants were happy to share information, with one student saying “I think it is good because I could now express my feelings to you, but now that has happened I feel much better”. OTHER SURVEY FINDINGS