Summary of Surveillance Activities

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Youth Online, the YRBS Explorer, and the YRBS Analysis Tool offer easy access to national, state, and local YRBSS data!

Data users can examine prevalence estimates and long term trends on health-risk behaviors and experiences that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults. Users can view data by health topic, location, and year. Filter and sort data by race/ethnicity, sex, academic grade, sexual orientation, age, location, and year (going back to 1991).

Youth Online, the YRBS Explorer, and the YRBS Analysis Tool are valuable tools for monitoring trends, setting research priorities, and planning programs and initiatives.

Youth Online

allows users to access YRBSS data, perform statistical tests, and create customized tables, maps, and graphs.

YRBS Explorer

provides YRBSS data in pre-created tables and graphs, allowing users to examine national, state, and local data without conducting analyses.

YRBS Analysis Tool

allows users to run a real-time data analysis that generates frequencies, cross tabulations, and stratified results.

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CDC’s Summary of Youth Surveillance Activities Division of Adolescent and School Health
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) School Health Profiles (Profiles)
National State/Territorial/Tribal/District Other
What is the surveillance system’s purpose?
  • To determine the prevalence of health-risk behaviors and experiences among students
  • To assess trends in these behaviors
  • To examine the co-occurrence of health-risk behaviors
 To provide data on health policies and activities in schools for states, large urban school districts, and territories
What does the surveillance system monitor?
  • Student demographics: sex, sexual identity, race and ethnicity, and grade
  • Youth health behaviors and conditions: sexual, injury and violence, bullying, diet and physical activity, obesity, and mental health, including suicide
  • Substance use behaviors: electronic vapor product and tobacco product use, alcohol use, and other drug use
  • Student experiences: parental monitoring, school connectedness, unstable housing, and exposure to community violence
  • School health education requirements and content
  • Physical education and physical activity
  • Practices related to bullying and sexual harassment
  • School health policies related to tobacco-use prevention and nutrition
  • School-based health services
  • Family engagement and community involvement
  • School health coordination
Which population(s) are represented? Public and private high school students Public high school students in each jurisdiction Middle school and alternative school students Public middle and high schools in each state, territory, or school district
How are the surveys administered? Self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires, conducted in classrooms Self-administered or web-based questionnaires, conducted in classrooms Self-administered or web-based questionnaires, conducted in classrooms Self-administered, mailed or web-based questionnaires
When are the surveys administered? Biennially, since 1991 Varied Biennially, since 1994
Example of key results? In 2021, 31.1% of Hispanic female high school students in the U.S. had ever had sexual intercourse. The percentage of high school
students in Kentucky who had ever had sexual intercourse decreased from 48.3% in 2009 to
30.7% in 2021.		 In 2021, 3.6% of middle school students in Broward County, FL had ever had sexual intercourse. In 2020, 64.2% of secondary schools in Alaska had teachers who taught HIV prevention in a required course.
How can I access the data? Data available upon request
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) website School Health Profiles (Profiles) website
Related CDC Data & Statistics