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YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR
SURVEILLANCE, Data from 2005 |
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Priority health-risk behaviors, which contribute to the leading causes
of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults, often are
established during childhood and adolescence. These behaviors often
extend into adulthood, are interrelated, and are preventable. The
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) monitors six
categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young
adults, including behaviors that contribute to unintentional
injuries and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use;
sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); unhealthy dietary behaviors;
and physical inactivity.1 |
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National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data are used to measure
progress toward achieving 15 national health objectives for Healthy
People 2010 and three of the 10 leading health indicators, to assess
trends in priority health-risk behaviors among high school students,
and to evaluate the impact of broad school and community
interventions at the national, state, and local levels. The 2005
YRBS Report was released June 9, 2006.
Click here for the full report.1 |
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EXAMPLES
OF IMPORTANT DISPARITIES |
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Certain risk behaviors are more likely to occur among subpopulations
of students defined by sex, race/ethnicity, and grade. Additional
research is needed to asses the effect of specific socioeconomic,
cultural, and racial/ethnic factors on the prevalence of health-risk
behaviors among high school students.2 |
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Race and Ethnicity |
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Black or African American (BAA) students were more likely
than Hispanic/Latino (HL) and white (W) students to have engaged in
health risk behaviors relating to |
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Physical activity:
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African American students were more likely to have |
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Used computers ≥ 3 hours per day (played video or computer games or
used a computer for something that was not school work on an average
school day) (BAA: 25.2%; HL: 19.8%; W: 19.6%) |
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Watched television ≥ 3 hours per day (on an average school day)
(BAA: 64.1%; HL: 45.8%; W: 29.2%) |
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Not participated in from vigorous or moderate physical activity
(during the 7 days preceding the survey) (BAA: 14.4%; HL: 10.6%; W:
8.1%). |
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Sexual activity:
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African American students were more likely to have |
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Been currently sexually active (had sexual intercourse with ≥1
person during the three months preceding the survey) (BAA: 47.4%;
HL: 35.0%; W: 32.0%) |
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Ever had sexual intercourse (BAA: 67.6%; HL: 51.0%; W 43.0%) |
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Had sexual intercourse before age 13 years (BAA: 16.5%; HL: 7.3%; W:
4.0%) |
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Had sexual intercourse with four or more persons during their life
(BAA: 28.2%; HL: 15.9%; W: 11.4%). |
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Injuries:
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Among students who rode a bicycle in the preceding 12 months,
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92.0% of African Americans rarely or never wore a bicycle helmet,
compared to 86.5% of Hispanics/Latinos and 84.5% of whites.3 |
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Hispanic/Latino students were more likely than African
American and White students to have engaged in health risk behaviors
relating to |
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Sexual activity:
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Among currently sexually active students, 42.3% of Hispanics/Latinos
did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse, compared to
31.1% of African Americans and 37.4% of whites. |
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Injuries:
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Hispanic/Latino students were more likely to have |
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Ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (in a car or
other vehicle one or more times during the 30 days preceding the
survey) (HL: 36.1%; BAA: 24.1%; W: 28.3%) |
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Attempted suicide (one or more times during the 12 months preceding
the survey) (HL: 11.3%; BAA: 7.6%; W: 7.3%). |
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Substance Use:
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Hispanic/Latino students were more likely to have used one or
more times during their life |
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Cocaine (HL: 12.2%; BAA: 2.3%; W: 7.7%) |
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Heroin (HL: 3.6%; BAA: 1.5%; W: 2.2%) |
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Methamphetamine (HL: 8.8%; BAA: 1.7%; W: 6.5%) |
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Ecstasy (HL: 9.6%; BAA: 3.9%; W: 5.8%).3 |
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White students were more likely than African American and
Hispanic/Latino students to have engaged in health risk behaviors
relating to |
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Tobacco and alcohol:
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White students were more likely to have |
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Smoked cigarettes on ≥ 20 of the 30 days preceding the survey (W:
11.2%; BAA: 3.7%; HL: 6.5%) |
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Used smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip on ≥1 of the
30 days preceding the survey) (W: 10.2%; BAA: 1.7%; HL: 5.1%) |
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Had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (on ≥1 of the 30 days
preceding the survey) (W: 29.9%; BAA: 11.1%; HL: 25.3%). |
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Diet: |
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White students were more likely to have not eaten fruits and
vegetables ≥5 times per day (during the 7 days preceding the survey)
(81.4%) compared to African American students (77.9%) and
Hispanic/Latino students (76.8%).3 |
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Gender |
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Female (F) students were more likely than male (M) students to
have engaged in health risk behaviors relating to |
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Injuries:
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Female students were more likely to have |
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Ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (in a car or
other vehicle one or more times during the 30 days preceding the
survey) (F: 29.6%; M: 27.2%) |
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Attempted suicide (one or more times during the 12 months preceding
the survey) (F: 10.8%; M: 6.0%). |
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Physical activity:
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Female students were more likely to have |
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Not participated in from vigorous or moderate physical activity
(during the 7 days preceding the survey) (F: 11.3%; M: 7.9%) |
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Not met recommended levels of physical activity (physically active
doing any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate
and made them breathe hard some of the time for a total of at least
60 minutes/day on ≤ 5 of the 7 days preceding the survey) (F: 72.2%;
M: 56.2%) |
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Not attended physical education classes (on one more more days in an
average week when they were in school) (F: 51.7%; M: 40.0%). |
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Sexual activity:
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Among students who were currently sexually active, female students
were less likely to have used a condom during last sexual
intercourse (44.1% did not use a condom) compared to male students
(30.0%). |
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Substance use:
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Female students were more likely to have used inhalants one or more
times during their life (13.5%) compared to male students (11.3%). |
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Dieting:
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Female students were more likely to have |
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Gone without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or keeping
from gaining weight (during the 30 days preceding the survey) (F:
17.0%; M: 7.6%) |
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Taken diet pills, powders, or liquids to lose weight or keep from
gaining weight (during the 30 days preceding the survey) (F: 8.1%;
M: 4.6%) |
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Vomited or taken laxatives to lose weight or keep from gaining
weight (during the 30 days preceding the survey) (F: 6.2%; M: 2.8%).4 |
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Male (M) students were more likely than female (F) students to
have engaged in health risk behaviors relating to |
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Injuries:
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Male students were more likely to have |
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Rarely or never worn a seat belt when riding in a car driven by
someone else (M: 7.8%; F: 12.5%) |
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Driven a car when drinking alcohol (during the 30 days preceding the
survey) (M: 11.7%; F: 8.1%) |
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Carried a weapon (for example, a gun, knife, or club on ≥ 1 of the
30 days preceding the survey) (M: 29.8%; F: 7.1%) |
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Rarely or never worn a bicycle helmet (among students who had ridden
a bicycle during the 12 months preceding the survey) (M: 86.1; F:
79.9%) |
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Engaged in physical fighting (one or more times during the 12 months
preceding the survey) (M: 43.4%; F: 28.1%). |
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Alcohol and tobacco:
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Male students were more likely to have |
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Used smokeless tobacco (on ≥ 1 of the 30 days preceding the survey)
(M: 13.6%; F: 2.2%) |
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Used cigars (on ≥ 1 of the 30 days preceding the survey) (M: 19.2%;
F: 8.7%) |
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Had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (on ≥ 1 of the 30 days
preceding the survey) (M: 27.5% F: 23.5%). |
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Substance use:
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Male students were more likely to have used one or more times
during their life |
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Marijuana (M: 40.9%; F: 35.9%), |
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Cocaine (M: 8.4%; F: 6.8%), |
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Illegal steroids (M: 4.8%; F: 3.2%), |
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Hallucinogenic drugs (M: 10.2%; F; 6.8%), and |
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Ecstasy (M: 7.2%; F: 5.3%). |
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Sexual activity:
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Male students were more likely to have had sexual intercourse with
four or more persons during their life (M: 16.5% F: 12.0%). |
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Weight and Physical activity:
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Male students were more likely to have |
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Been overweight (M: 16.0%; F: 10.0%) |
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Used computers ≥ 3 hours per day (played video or computer games or
used a computer for something that was not school work on an average
school day) (M: 27.4%; F: 14.8%).4 |
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More effective school health programs and other policy and
programmatic interventions are needed to reduce risk and improve
health outcomes among youth.1 |
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