What is YRBS?
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a surveillance
tool used by the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor various
health behaviors among American teens. The
Kentucky
Department of Education -Program Resources is the agency
that conducts this study within the Commonwealth of Kentucky
utilizing the skills of the
UK Center
for Prevention Research. The CDC annually urges KDE to
survey 60 high schools in Kentucky. The subsequent surveys are
returned to the CDC where they are analyzed by
Westat, a private company
contracted with the CDC. The
UK Center
for Prevention Research also does secondary analysis with
the Kentucky data.
Introduction
When it comes to effectively safeguarding the
children of Kentucky, knowledge is power. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) seeks updates on the behavior of
American youth every two years via the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).
This information allows the CDC to monitor trends in health issues
among adolescents in areas of nutrition, school safety, tobacco use,
alcohol use, illicit drug use, sexuality-related health issues (STD
prevention and pregnancy), exercise, and other health concerns.
Questions relate to major health areas.
The 2003 YRBS was administered by the
University of Kentucky Center for Prevention Research under the
direction of
Dr. Jeff Jones as a joint project of the Kentucky Department of
Education and the Kentucky Department of Public Health.
The Sample
The CDC has conducted the YRBS in Kentucky since 1989 with the last
survey done in Spring 2003. This data for behaviors among 9th-12th
graders is summarized on this site as a guide for parents,
educators, and decision makers regarding our Commonwealth's most
precious resource, our children.
The 2003 YRBS consists of a sample randomly
selected from typical public high schools in Kentucky. Alternative,
psychiatric, private, and other such schools are NOT among the
sampling frame from which the sample was selected. Thus, the numbers
reported here are for your typical public high schools and do not
reflect private Kentucky school students or more at-risk Kentucky
students in alternative programs.
In 2003, however, the Kentucky Department of
Juvenile Justice (DJJ) conducted a parallel administration of the
YRBS to youth incarcerated in Kentucky juvenile detention centers.
The DJJ survey included additional questions not covered on the
general Kentucky YRBS. The DJJ students were also asked about their
behavior prior to being placed in detention.
Validity
The YRBS uses a double random selection process where schools are
randomly selected and then classes within schools are randomly
selected. The 2003 YRBS had an overall combined school and classroom
response rate of over 70% and thus this data is statistically
representative of students in typical public high schools throughout
Kentucky.
Contacts
Phone:
502-564-2706
Fax: 502-564-6771
Email:
Barbara Donica, Kentucky
Department of education
Jeff Jones, Ph.D., University of
Kentucky
Data
Detailed Tables
[pdf format]
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
- Further national data, the questionnaire, and national trends
Links
