Youth’07: The health and wellbeing of secondary school students in New Zealand: Results for Chinese, Indian and other Asian Students

Abstract

This report presents findings from Youth’07, the second national survey of the health and wellbeing of secondary school students in New Zealand, for the 1310 students who identified with an Asian ethnic group. It must be noted that ‘Asian’ is not a single ethnic category but a broad range of ethnic groups encompassing a wide range of cultural, language, and migration experiences. In this report we highlight the term ‘Asian’ to remind readers of the particular meaning placed on it and its shortcomings as a single ethnic category. For the same reason, the results for the two largest Asian ethnic groups in the survey – Chinese and Indian – are presented as two separate, specific reports, comparing the findings for each group with those for New Zealand European students, and with the corresponding findings from the previous survey conducted in 2001. This is followed by an overview report on the ‘Asian’ group as a whole, with the caution that these results, averaged across the combined ‘Asian’ group, may mask different experiences relating to specific ethnic groups. Overall, the majority of ‘Asian’ students reported positive family, home and school environments, and positive relationships with adults at home and school. However, Chinese and Indian students were more likely than NZ European students to experience family adversity or hardships (eg, changing homes more often, overcrowding and unemployment among parents). Compared to NZ European students, Chinese and Indian students were more likely to report positive feelings about school. Several school safety indicators have improved since the previous survey in 2001, but a small proportion of Chinese and Indian students continue to report being bullied weekly or more often, many reporting the bullying to be related to their ethnicity. In the 2007 survey, about three-quarters of ‘Asian’ students did not meet the current national guidelines for daily intake of fruit and vegetables, and 91% did not meet the current national guidelines of one or more hours of physical activity per day. Indian students reported similar levels of physical activity to NZ European students while Chinese students reported lower levels of physical activity. The vast majority of ‘Asian’ students reported good health in 2007. However, when health care was needed, many ‘Asian’ students faced barriers to accessing it, including a lack of knowledge of the healthcare system, cost of care and lack of transport. Mental health problems were of particular concern in this population, especially among female students. Among Chinese and Indian students 18% of females and 7-8% of males showed significant depressive symptoms – proportions unchanged since the 2001 survey. The prevalence of smoking, measured both in terms of ever smoking a cigarette and of smoking weekly or more often, had substantially decreased among Chinese students since the 2001 survey. In contrast, among Indian students these indicators showed little change over the same period. Drinking alcohol was less prevalent among Chinese and Indian students than among NZ European students: 35% of Chinese students and 34% of Indian students were current drinkers compared to 66% of NZ European students. While Indian and Chinese students were less likely than NZ European students to be binge drinkers, about 16% reported binge drinking on at least one occasion in the previous 4 weeks. Compared with the 2001 survey, marijuana use had declined among Chinese students but not among Indian students. Chinese and Indian students were more likely than NZ European students to report not using contraception. While the proportion of Chinese students using contraception has remained unchanged since the 2001 survey, the equivalent proportion among Indian students had declined. The majority of ‘Asian’ students reported positive and rewarding friendships, 41% reported spiritual beliefs as important, and a similar proportion attended a place of worship regularly. These proportions had not changed since 2001.