YRBSS
Overview of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

	PDF FORMAT Overview of the YRBSS [pdf 135K].

The YRBSS was developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. These behaviors, often established during childhood and early adolescence, include

• Tobacco use.
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors.
• Inadequate physical activity.
• Alcohol and other drug use.
• Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection.
• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence.

What are the purposes of the YRBSS?

The YRBSS was designed to

• Determine the prevalence of health risk behaviors.
• Assess whether health risk behaviors increase, decrease, or stay the same over time.
• Examine the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors.
• Provide comparable national, state, and local data.
• Provide comparable data among subpopulations of youth.
• Monitor progress toward achieving the Healthy People 2010 objectives and other program indicators.

What are the components of the YRBSS?

The YRBSS includes national, state, and local school-based surveys of representative samples of 9th through 12th grade students. These surveys are conducted every two years, usually during the spring semester. The national survey, conducted by CDC, provides data representative of high school students in public and private schools in the United States. The state and local surveys, conducted by departments of health and education, provide data representative of public high school students in each state or local school district.

The YRBSS also includes additional national surveys conducted by CDC:

• The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted in 1992 as a follow back to the National Health Interview Survey among nearly 11,000 persons aged 12–21 years.
• The National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, conducted in 1995 among a representative sample of about 5,000 undergraduate students.
• The National Alternative High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted in 1998 among a representative sample of almost 9,000 students in alternative high schools.
• A series of methodological studies conducted in 1992, 2000, 2002, and 2004 to improve the quality and interpretation of the YRBSS data.

Documents on this page are available in Portable Document Format (PDF). Learn more about viewing and printing these documents with Acrobat Reader.

Healthy Youth Home | Contact Us

CDC Home | Search | Health Topics A-Z

Policies and Regulations | Disclaimers

Page last reviewed: May 24, 2006
Page last modified: May 24, 2006
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health

Division of Adolescent and School Health
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Health and Human Services