The 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Investigators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the prevalence of youth behaviors that most influence health. The 1997 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) contains data from 16,262 respondents. Variables included in this study assess health-risk behaviors established during youth that result in the most significant mortality, morbidity, disability, and social problems during both youth and adulthood. These include: behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), and unintended pregnancies; dietary behaviors; and physical activity.

Three previous versions of the YRBS have been archived at Sociometrics. The 1992 survey (DAAPPP data set K9), the 1993 (data set M1) and 1995 (data set N4). Each of these data sets is cross-sectional.