2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data now available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) of health risk behaviors in high school students grades 9 – 12 in 50 states and the District of Columbia is conducted every two years by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 2005 report, published June 9, 2006 in the Morbidity and Mortality (MMWR) Surveillance Summaries, provides national data collected by CDC, data from 40 states and local data from 21 urban areas that decided to participate. The survey monitors behaviors in high school students such as tobacco, alcohol and drug use, physical injury or violence, sexual behaviors, and dietary and physical activity habits that can lead to serious health issues. It has been conducted since 1991 and provides a broad picture of how the behavior of high school students has – or has not – changed over the years. Because of the number of students involved, it also provides good data on racial, ethnic, gender, and age differences which will allow policy makers to focus prevention efforts in the most effective manner.
The 2005 YRBS concludes that fewer high school students are engaging in health risk behaviors than their counterparts 15 years ago when the study first began, but highlights that racial and ethnic differences persist, putting some subgroups of youth at unnecessary risk for injury and disease. There have also been many positive changes in health risk behaviors since the first study. Two of the largest decreases in risky behaviors in the last 15 years involve seat belt use and alcohol use. According to the 2005 YRBS, only 10 percent of high school students claimed to rarely or never wear a seat belt while riding in a car, compared to 18 percent in 2003 and 26 percent in 1991. The decrease in students who reported current alcohol use was also dramatic: 43 percent in 2005 compared to 51 percent in 1991. There were other important changes in risk behaviors. Since 1991, the percentage of students who said they have had sexual intercourse has decreased from 54% in the first survey to 47% in 2005, roughly the same as in 2003. In addition, 63 percent of sexually active students reported that either they or their partner had used a condom during their last sexual intercourse (the same as in the 2003 YRBS), compared to 46 percent in 1991.
Because of sample sizes, data from white, black and Hispanic students were the only racial and ethnic differences analyzed – and they proved to have significant results. Of the three groups, black students are least likely to use tobacco, alcohol, cocaine and other drugs, but most likely to report sexual risk behaviors and sedentary behaviors. White students are less likely to report physical fighting, sexual risk behaviors and being overweight, but more likely to use cigarettes frequently and participate in episodic heavy drinking. Hispanic students are more likely to report attempted suicide and to use drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. It is surmised that the reasons for the differences are complex and need more research to be understood thoroughly.
Nearly 14,000 U.S. high school students participated in the 2005 YRBS. Student participation was voluntary (parental permission was necessary), and responses were anonymous. In addition, states and cities could modify the questionnaire to fit their needs for their own data collection. This is one of several surveillance activities conducted by CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services sponsors two additional surveys on substance abuse among youth: The National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the Monitoring the Future report.
For more information:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office of Communication
770-488-5131
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention