Kingston, Jamaica, 15 October 2025 (PAHO) — The National Global School Health Survey (GSHS) and the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) are set to commence across schools islandwide, marking an important step in assessing the health and well-being of Jamaica’s adolescents.
The initiative is being led by the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) and the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). Ahead of the national rollout, more than 60 field workers participated in a comprehensive training session on September 25, 2025, aimed at strengthening their capacity to conduct the surveys among students aged 13 to 17 years in selected representative schools.
The GSHS is a school-based, self-administered survey designed to collect data on the health behaviours and protective factors of young people. It provides critical insights into the major causes of morbidity among children and is a standardized questionnaire used globally. The last national survey was conducted in 2017, and this new round will allow for trend analysis to measure the impact of health programmes and interventions implemented since then.
The GYTS, meanwhile, focuses specifically on monitoring tobacco use among youth. Also self-administered, it helps countries strengthen their capacity to design, implement, and evaluate effective tobacco prevention and control programmes.
The information gathered through both surveys will play a key role in shaping future health initiatives. The data will be used to inform policy and programme implementation, such as the School Nutrition Policy, track the growing use of vapes among adolescents, and assess the risk and protective factors influencing student behaviours.
