The Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS) covers topics such as youth tobacco, alcohol and drug use and includes additional topics of interest to schools including bullying, school connectedness and mental health. Over the years, data from the CSTADS have supported positive changes to improve youth health, such as the recent federal ban on flavoured cigarillo products.

CSTADS results help government and public health officials identify areas of concern and emerging trends. The end-goal is to develop new programs and policies that will make a positive difference.

Participating in CSTADS can also help schools create a healthier environment. By using their school-specific School Health Profile and summaries, schools can educate their school community about student smoking and other health behaviours, and create policies and programs to keep students healthy.

More information about the project can be found in our project brochure (pdf). You can also find additional information about Collaborative Projects being implemented alongside CSTADS in your province.

Participation is easy!

A school-designated primary contact communicates with project staff to:

• Schedule a suitable date and time to administer the questionnaire.
• Provide class enrolment information to ensure an adequate supply of questionnaires to classes.
• Distribute parent permission and questionnaire materials to teachers.

All materials are prepared and provided by project staff to the school contact and participating classroom teachers.

On the day of the survey, project staff are available to assist in implementing the 30-minute student questionnaire and answer any questions that come up.

Additional details about the project are available in our project brochure (pdf).

All students in grades 7 to 12 (grade 7 to secondary V in Québec), with parental permission and/or who have personally agreed to participate, may participate in the survey and complete the questionnaire.

• Students can consent on their own to participate, as permitted by schools and school boards.
• Students can refuse to participate at any time.

SCHOOLS BENEFIT FROM PARTICIPATION:

After participating in the survey each school will receive:

• $100 honorarium.
• A School Health Profile and one-page summaries that outline their school results on tobacco, drug and alcohol use, bullying, school connectedness and mental health.
• Each school has control of the distribution of their results.

Your School Health Profile will detail:

• how your school compares to other schools in your province on substance abuse, bullying, and school connectedness;
• how connected, happy, and safe students feel at your school;
• the connection between substance abuse and other issues at your school; and
• resources for your school to address substance abuse, school connectedness, bullying, and mental health issues.

The permission consent procedures used for CSTADS are guided by the procedures required within school boards and schools. Students are able to participate in the survey using one of the following permission/consent procedures:

Active Parental Permission Procedure

An information letter and permission form are distributed to students or parents by the project contact at the school. Parents are asked to complete the permission form online or return a hard copy to their child's classroom teacher in order for their child to participate in the survey. Students can complete the permission form on their own, if they are of age to do so, as determined by the school board/school.

Active Information-Passive Permission Method

An information letter sent to parents using the method typically used by the school to communicate with parents. Parents use a toll-free number to inform CSTADS project staff if they do not want their child to participate in the survey. If students are of age to consent to participate in research, as determined by the school board/school, they can choose to participate in the survey on their own.

Student Permission

Students are able to refuse participation in the survey at any time. If students are of age to consent to participate in research, as determined by the school board/school, they can choose to participate in the survey on their own. Students who do not participate in the survey are asked to work quietly at their desks while other students complete the survey.

The school results detailed in the School Health Profile and Summaries are only distributed to schools unless permission is received from the school to distribute elsewhere.

Youth who complete the questionnaire do so anonymously and their answers are confidential. Responses to the questionnaire cannot be linked back to an individual. This is an important priority for the survey procedures.

We encourage schools to be creative when making use of their School Health Profile. In addition to using the results as a teaching tool and to inform school policies and programs, schools have used the results in their School Health Profile and Summaries in the following ways:

• Results have been condensed into monthly school newsletters or copies of the one-page Parent Summaries are included with report cards that are sent to families.
• Schools incorporate their school data into school campaigns, "anti-smoking" or "anti-bullying" as examples.
• Results are shared within various school clubs. For example, substance use data can be used in health committees, school connectedness data may be of use to boost school spirit or engage students within the school.
• Results are used in health units/courses and at health fairs where displays on youth health issues are shared with parents and students.
• The results have been shared with school councils, parent councils, and superintendents.
• Results have been shared with the school's public health nurse or local public health unit who can incorporate the results into their work.

The Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey questionnaire asks questions about tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use (illicit, prescription, over-the-counter, etc.) in addition to youth bullying, mental health and school connectedness. The questionnaire will also be made available in the school's main office.

Smoking, alcohol and drug use are highly related. In 2006-07, 96% of students in grades 7-9 who had smoked a whole cigarette had also used alcohol or marijuana. The survey asks about a wide variety of topics that are related to tobacco use, including influences of others, attitudes, alcohol and substance use and other behaviours. Understanding these potential influences can help direct programs and policies to curb tobacco use as well as the other behaviours.

The data collected on experimentation with alcohol and drugs will contribute to the evidence base for decision-making within the framework of Canada's Drug Strategy.

The CSTADS project has been reviewed and received ethics clearance from the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Waterloo and Health Canada's Research Ethics Board. School boards and schools are also required to read and approve the questionnaire before agreeing to participate. As per school board protocols, parents and students are asked to provide permission/consent before participating in the project.

One task of a survey is to provide a clear picture of the behaviours under study, in this case tobacco use, drug and alcohol use. For example, different groups of people (e.g., males, females) may use tobacco, alcohol or drugs at different rates, or require different types of interventions to prevent their smoking. We ask students to indicate their ethnic background (e.g., white, black, aboriginal) to help paint this picture. This information can help schools and governments develop programs to improve the health of at-risk students.