|
Violence among adolescents is a critical public
health issue in the United States. In 2004, the latest year for
which data are available, homicide was the second leading cause
of death among persons aged 15 to 24 years.
Results from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) indicate that 18.5 percent of high school students had carried
a weapon (such as a gun, knife, or club) at some point during the
preceding 30 days. Males were more than four times as likely as
females to carry a weapon (29.8 versus 7.1 percent). Non-Hispanic
White and Hispanic males were more likely than non-Hispanic Black
males to carry a weapon (31.4 and 29.8 versus 23.7 percent), and
non-Hispanic Black females were more likely than non-Hispanic White
and Hispanic females (9.4 versus 6.0 and 7.8 percent). Just over
5 percent of students reported carrying a gun in the preceding 30
days, and males were more than 11 times as likely as females to
do so. Almost 36 percent of students had been in a physical fight
at least once in the preceding 12 months.
In 2005, 6.5 percent of students carried a weapon
on school property on at least one of the preceding 30 days, which
did not vary significantly by grade Almost 8 percent of students
were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the
preceding 30 days; this was relatively consistent across grades.
Almost 14 percent of high school students had been in a fight on
school property in the preceding 12 months, and 6 percent of students
missed school on at least one of the 30 preceding days because of
safety concerns.
>
Line Chart: High School Students Who Carried a Weapon in
the Past 30 Days, by Sex and Race/Ethnicity: 1993-2005
>
Line Chart: High School Students Threatened or
Injured with a Weapon on School Property in Past Year, by Race/Ethnicity:
1993-2005
|
