Binge drinking, smoking and cannabis use among youth across Northwestern Ontario have dropped slightly, but vaping remained a health concern, according to the 2025/26 COMPASS Student Health Survey.
The annual survey of youth from eight high schools across the region found that Substance use among students in the Northwestern Health Unit region continued to decline in 2025-26, extending a positive trend that has been evident over the past three years.
The percentage of students reporting vaping within a 30-day period prior to the survey date fell from 30 per cent in 2023-24 but still remained high at 26 per cent, more than double the Ontario average of 11 per cent.
During the same period, binge drinking dropped from 25 per cent in 2023-24 to 20 per cent, while cannabis use decreased from 24 per cent to 18 per cent. Cigarette smoking also declined, falling from 15 per cent to 13 per cent.
Despite the declines, however, the survey found that nearly half of the students who reported vaping “did so to relax or relieve stress or anxiety,” according to the study’s authors.
“Among students who drank alcohol, 34 per cent did so while alone, and 74 per cent of those who had used cannabis used it alone. These patterns point to coping strategies rather than social use of substances.”
Screen time and healthy eating continue to be challenges for students in the region, the survey found.
“Only three per cent of students met the national recommendation of two hours or less of recreational screen time per day. In addition, only 29 per cent reported eating breakfast every day, while just 40 per cent reported eating vegetables daily and 38 per cent reported eating fruit daily.”
Meanwhile, there were some positive developments revealed in the survey. Students reported stronger connections to their schools, with nearly seven in 10 students saying they felt they were part of their school community, up from 65 per cent last year and 63 per cent three years ago.
Physical activity also showed improvement as 75 per cent of students reported meeting the national recommendation of at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, up from 72 per cent last year and slightly above the Ontario average of 74 per cent.
Mental health indicators show mixed results. Fifty-five per cent of students rated their mental health as good, very good or excellent, an increase from 46 per cent three years ago. However, 39 per cent reported feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge most days in the previous two weeks, and 35 per cent reported feeling lonely most days in the past week.
After improving last year, student sleep habits in the Northwestern Health Unit region showed a modest decline in 2025-26. The proportion of students meeting national sleep guidelines fell from 59 per cent in 2024-25 to 55 per cent, although it remained slightly above the 54 per cent recorded two years ago. Even so, seven in 10 students reported good sleep quality, with students averaging eight hours of sleep on school nights and nearly nine hours on weekends.
Findings of the COMPASS survey are based on self-reported responses from students and only 57 per cent of eligible students completed the survey.
“As a result, the data may not fully represent the experiences of all youth in the region,” the health unit said.
“To strengthen future results, Northwestern Health Unit will work with participating schools to reinforce the importance of the survey and encourage student participation. While completion of the survey remains voluntary, higher response rates help ensure the findings more accurately reflect the experiences of local students and improve the quality of data used to guide school and community health initiatives.”
The COMPASS study is a Canada-wide research project led by the University of Waterloo that tracks student health behaviour over time to support evidence-informed health promotion initiatives.
Full results of the COMPASS report are posted on the Reports, Publications, and Statistics page of the NWHU website at www.nwhu.on.ca.
