Utah has the 5th highest suicide rate in the nation. Youth are particularly vulnerable to this. In 2014, suicide was the leading cause of death for Utah youth ages 10-17. Young adults who identify as LGBTQ+ are particularly susceptible to suicide but, as of right now, the Utah Department of Health does not gather any statistical data on these individuals. The state of Utah has a history of making it difficult for LGBTQ+ youth to feel supported and recognized, and this message is made even clearer by ignoring the gathering of data.
Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System surveys (YRBSS). These surveys are used to monitor health behaviors that may significantly contribute to leading causes of death, social problems or disabilities among adults and youth in the United States. These are gathered by UDH and reported back to the CDC. School districts can choose to include questions on LGBTQ+ topics if they would like the data to be gathered, but it is not required.
In 2017, UDH wanted to include these questions in their surveys for the first time. In response, several school districts threatened not to participate in the survey if the questions remained. This threat put UDH in the difficult position of risking having all of their youth data voided by the CDC for falling below the required response rate of 60 percent, and UDH ultimately did not include the questions in the survey.
School districts seem worried that by merely asking these questions, they are promoting certain behaviors. This thought process completely disregards the fact the these behaviors are already occurring and these students already exist. This is not a failure of the Utah Department of Health, as they advocate that we should be gathering this information in order to shed light on Utah’s suicide epidemic. This falls on the shoulders of our schools and school districts.
If educators and school leaders truly want to better understand the experiences of their students, a simple and easy way to do this is by adding the questions on LGBTQ+ topics to the survey, especially knowing that these youth in particular are at higher risk. According to 2016 CDC data, LGBTQ+ youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide that their straight peers. If we know these risks, and we know these students exist, why are we choosing to ignore them? Choosing to exclude them from national data gathering that could potentially elevate their quality of life is a denial of their humanity and very existence.
In 2017, the CDC performed an Epidemic Intelligence investigation into Utah’s alarming youth suicide rates. After the investigation came to a close, CDC officers put forth several suggestions for Utah to improve their trends. One of these recommendations was to ‘Identify and provide support to youth at risk of suicidal behaviors.’
If the CDC also says that LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to experience these ideations, then they are calling directly for the recognition of these subgroups within Utah data gathering and school curriculums. If Utah is serious about this problem, they must recognize the existence of young LGBTQ+ individuals and start distinguishing these groups in their gathering of public health information, as well as using this information to create more supportive environments for these young students.
We cannot improve this situation without reaching for greater understanding. School districts and legislators alike have a responsibility to heed the CDC and UDH recommendations and take greater action to support these youth.
Sarah Leetham
Sarah Leetham is a student at the University of Utah and a policy intern at the local non-profit advocacy group Alliance for a Better Utah.