High School Kids Have Decreased Interest in Sex, Drugs, Guns, and Other Risky Behaviors
The results of the national YRBSS study reveal that the youth of America have been engaging in fewer, not more, risky behaviors over the past fifteen years, overall. This is promising news that our nation’s children are adopting better health habits and avoiding a greater number of potential risks than their predecessors.
The news is not good for all, however. There are some discrepancies in the results when analyzed from ethnic and racial perspectives.
Sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the first of the YRBSS surveys were completed by participating high school students in 1991 in an effort to calculate how the youth of America were conducting themselves when it came to their involvement in behaviors that place them at greater risk for long and short term adverse consequences, and the surveys have been conducted every two years since that time. According to the report’s “Description of the System,” the YRBSS monitors “six categories of priority health-risk behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity.” (CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 9, 2006) The survey also tracks and monitors the “general health status and the prevalence of overweight and asthma” in U.S. high school students.
According to the CDC study, the two areas of concern that showed the most remarkable decrease in incidence from the 1989 study involve the use of seatbelts and alcohol use. Says the CDC Press Release: High school students appear to be getting the message to buckle up. The 2005 National YRBSS found only 10 percent of high school students said they rarely or never wore a seat belt when riding in a car, a dramatic decline from the 18 percent in 2003 and 26 percent in 1991. The percentage of students who report current alcohol use has also declined dramatically (43 percent in 2005 vs. 51 percent in 1991) since the first YRBSS survey.
Other declines in behaviors of concern to the CDC include sexual activity, avoidance of condom use, carrying weapons, and riding in vehicles with drivers who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The YRBSS surveys were distributed to approximately 14,000 high school students throughout the United States. Parental consent was obtained for the students’ involved in the study, and participation was voluntary and the responses were anonymous, says the CDC Press Release.
Unfortunately, “despite the overall improvements in health behaviors of teens, racial and ethnic differences continue to exist,” says Howell Wechsler, Ed.D, MPH, the director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. According to the YRBSS results, risky behaviors differ in popularity and involvement among white, Hispanic, and black American youth. “Compared with white and Hispanic high school students, black high school students are least likely to use tobacco, alcohol, cocaine and other drugs, but most likely to report sexual risk behaviors and sedentary behaviors such as watching television three or more hours per day. White students are less likely than black or Hispanic high school students to report physical fighting, sexual risk behaviors and being overweight, but more likely to engage in frequent cigarette smoking and episodic heavy drinking. Hispanic students are more likely than black or white students to report attempted suicide and the use of drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines.” (CDC Press Release, June 8, 2006)
According to Wechsler, the reasons for the racial differences in the participation of risky behaviors in high school students are “complex.” He went on to stress the importance of further study into the myriad racial and ethnic factors that might impact the results of the study, including education, socio-economic status, environment, and cultural differences.
The YRBSS is one of three national surveys sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services to monitor the use of substance abuse by American youth. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Monitoring the Future Study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research are the others.
