Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2009

• NCJ Number: 230902
• Author(s): Danice K. Eaton, Ph.D.; Laura Kann, Ph.D.; Steve Kinchen; Shari Shanklin, M.S.; James Ross, M.S.; Joseph Hawkins, M.A.; William A. Harris, M.M.; Richard Lowry, M.D.; Tim McManus, M.S.; David Chyen, M.S.; Connie Lim, M.P.A.; Lisa Whittle, M.P.H.; Nancy D. Brener, Ph.D.; Howell Wechsler, Ed.D.
• Date Published: June 2010
• Length: 148 pages
• Corporate Author: Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Sale Source: Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, N SS-5, V 59, June 4, 2010

Annotation

This report presents results from the 2009 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), which monitors six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults in the United States.

Abstract

The findings show that many high school students engage in behaviors that increase their likelihood for the leading causes of death in the United States among persons ages 10-24. These risky behaviors include failure to wear seat belts when riding in a car driven by someone else, riding in cars driven by someone who had been drinking an alcoholic beverage, carrying a weapon, drinking alcoholic beverages, and using marijuana. Significant percentages had also been involved in physical fights and attempted suicides. Of the high school students who were sexually active (34.2 percent), 38.9 percent had not used a condom during their last sexual intercourse. A significant percentage of high school youth had smoked cigarettes and had poor diets and inadequate exercise routines. The prevalence of most risky behaviors did not vary significantly among cities and States. This report recommends more effect school health programs and other policy and program interventions proven to reduce risky behaviors and improve health outcomes among youth. The YRBSS includes a national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State and local school Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted by State and local education and health agencies. This report summarizes results from the 2009 national survey, 42 State surveys, and 20 local surveys conducted among students in grades 9-12. 104 tables