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 results from the YRBS are
used by CDC to (1) monitor how priority health-risk behaviors among high
school students (grades 9-12) increase, decrease, or remain the same
over time; (2) evaluate the impact of broad national, state, and local
efforts to prevent priority health-risk behaviors; and (3) monitor
progress in achieving three leading health indicators and 15 Healthy
People 2010 national health objectives. Results are also used to help
focus programs and policies for comprehensive school health education on
the behaviors that contribute most to the leading causes of mortality
and morbidity. The Child Welfard and Poverty Data Archive offers six
years of YRBS data in a single self-extracting file.
The YRBS is sponsored by the Division of Adolescent and School Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The school-based YRBS
focuses on priority 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.
*All dataset orders include Raw Data, SPSS Program Statements, SAS Program Statements, an SPSS portable file, machine-readable versions of the codebooks and instruments when available and a User's Guide. Codebooks, Instruments, and additional User's Guides can also be purchased separately. CD-ROM orders may be purchased WITH or WITHOUT search and retrieval and extract software. The search and retrieval and extract software permits the user to search through the Data Set contents of the CD-ROM and create extract command files in SPSS or SAS.