South Tyneside Data Observatory – Listening to Young People’s Voices: Key Findings from the 2025 HRBQ

By Karen Armstrong, Public Health Practitioner – karen.armstrong@southtyneside.gov.uk

About the HRBQ

South Tyneside’s Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire (HRBQ) has been repeated in schools across the borough every few years since 2012. The survey asks children in school years 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 for their views and experiences around a range of important public health topics including:

Healthy eating
Physical activity
Oral health
Illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping
Emotional health and wellbeing
Puberty and growing up
Relationships and sexual health

In April 2025, the HRBQ was repeated in South Tyneside, and for the first time young people in year 12, as well as those in SEND schools, were also invited to take part to ensure more voices were heard.

Why is it important that young people’s views are listened to and acknowledged?

Listening to the views of children and young people is essential in shaping effective public health approaches and strategies. Not only do their perspectives offer unique insights into many of the challenges they face and the types of support they need [1], they often speak about health and wellbeing in ways that differ from adults [2]. By engaging directly with children and young people, we can gain a clearer understanding of what they consider important for their own health and wellbeing [3]. This, in turn, enables us to design responses that are meaningful, and to develop services and interventions that are relevant, appropriate, and genuinely impactful.

Key results from the HRBQ

In 2025, 5,252 children and young people from 37 schools across South Tyneside took part in the survey. Compared to the 2022 survey, it is encouraging to see that the from this year suggest children and young people are more physically active, happier with their lives, and making healthier life choices in 2025.

In primary school, the percentage of children who had visited the dentist in the last 6 months rose from 52% to 60%. Almost 80% of children described their break and lunchtimes as ‘happy’, and 60% of Year 6 children felt their views were listened to by school. The number of children having the recommended 5 portions of fruit and veg per day has risen from around one fifth in 2022 to a quarter in 2025, and the number of children skipping breakfast before lessons has almost halved (from 7% to 4%) which is great progress!

Along with a healthy diet, we know that movement is also important, and 94% of children said they do some form of sporting activity at least once a week. Whilst such figures are encouraging, the data does show that more work must be done to encourage healthy eating and physical activity for children in the school setting and at home. A third of children (33%) claimed to eat unhealthy snacks (like crisps and chocolate) daily, suggesting these children are not benefiting from a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, the 2025 questionnaire highlighted that only two-thirds (62%) of children are meeting or exceeding the Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines for children recommend a minimum of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity [4].

Data around healthy eating habits and physical activity is important because we know that healthy eating and exercise is important to lower the risks of excess weight, obesity, and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke, as well as improving mental health and functional capabilities [5]. Interventions such as the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) exist to help us to monitor children’s weight in primary school, and partnership working with the School Nursing Service and Family Hubs, supports the offer of advice and support to families. Figures for the 2024/25 NCMP show us that 41.1% of children in South Tyneside are leaving primary school living with excess weight, compared to 36.2% in England [6].

In secondary school, we can see that young people are making healthier choices than in the previous survey, with 85% of students reporting they have never tried smoking (up from 82% in 2022), and 72% have never used a vape. Reported illegal drug use in this age group has declined from 7% to 5% and most students have told us that they have received useful information about substances from teachers in school. Although alcohol use within young people has declined in the last three years (from 42% in 2022 to 39% in 2025), there is a significant increase in alcohol use when moving into further education, where 72% of teenagers have had an alcoholic drink, and 23% having done so in the previous week. There is work being done which aims to address this issue, including the introduction of a new training module for those working directly with young people, advice for teachers via the Stronger Schools platform, new RSHE guidelines for schools [7], and a strong professional relationship with the Matrix drug and alcohol service is strengthening this education and support offer for young people in the borough.

Positively, there is less pressure on young people to engage in sexual activity; 80% of young people in secondary, and 93% of those in further education, feeling that it is okay to wait to have sex. However, sexual health promotion in South Tyneside requires significant improvement. Although there has been a reduction in the number of young people in Year 10 who are, or have been, in a sexual relationship (from a quarter to a fifth), only 37% of these always use a method of contraception (down from 42% in 2022). In the 16+ year group, a third reported to have had sex and only 17% of these reported to have always used contraception. Worryingly, 88% of all respondents said they were unaware of a sexual health service in South Tyneside. Whilst the South Tyneside Sexual Health Service is available in the area, it is clear that more work must be done in local schools and the wider community to promote this excellent service for young people, to ensure that if they are having sex, they are aware of the risks and are doing so safely.

Young People’s Concerns

While the results in the survey were encouraging across many areas of health and wellbeing, children and young people raised important concerns. SATS and tests featured as the top worry for boys and girls in primary school. Bullying remains prevalent in this age group, particularly in girls, with a third of children (28%) claiming to have been bullied in the past 12 months and almost half of girls saying they are sometimes afraid to attend school because of this. In secondary, exams and tests similarly featured as the top worry for girls, and ‘the future’ for boys. Self-harm remains an issue, particularly in girls, with numbers rising from 19% to 23% in girls and remaining static at 12% in boys. It is important to note also that 82% of this age group who said they self-harmed also said they did not seek support. In further education, exams and tests once again featured as the top worry for all students, with 76% of females and half of males concerned about this. Across both secondary and further education settings, over a third of young people have experienced negative behaviours from a partner, with common experiences being jealous and controlling behaviours such as phone checking, and only 69% of young people report to know what to do if they experience abuse in a relationship.

Inequalities

The HRBQ has recognised that certain social groupings are more at risk of negative outcomes. The number of children in primary schools who are identified as Young Carers has doubled since 2022 from 6% to 11%, which may potentially be due to the excellent work being done around the Young Carer’s card. The data tells us, however, that these children are more likely to experience significant worries, self-harm, and skip breakfast before lessons. The same is true of our LGBT+ community of young people during their school-life. The data also states that children who are eligible for free school meals, as well as those from armed forces or single parent families are more likely to engage in risk taking behaviours such as vaping. In our Year 10 students, pupils with a disability or long-standing illness, SEND, or who identify as LGBT+, are more likely to have self-harmed. It is important that we monitor these inequalities in the borough to provide equitable service and outcomes for these marginalised groups.

What do the results tell us?

South Tyneside’s Health and Wellbeing Vision [8] promises to ”work in partnership to improve the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for children, adults and families and reduce health inequalities, to help people live longer and healthier lives”. This includes working to ensure every child and young person has opportunities to thrive and reach their full potential. The HRBQ really showcases the excellent work being done in South Tyneside to support children and families, as well as works to highlight important challenges which need to be addressed across several areas. Understanding these issues from a young person perspective, and sharing with services, schools and other partners, allows us to work together to influence current practices, deliver relevant and consistent health promotion, and correct misinformation across the borough.

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