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 2003 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is one component of the YRBSS.

The 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: tobacco use; unhealthy dietary behaviors; inadequate physical activity; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that may result in HIV infection or other sexually transmitted diseases; unintended pregnancies; and behaviors that may result in violence and unintentional injuries, as well as overweight.

The results from the YRBS will be 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.