Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 1997

Abstract

Priority health-risk behaviors, which contribute to the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among youth and adults, often are established during youth, extend into adulthood, and are interrelated. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults--behaviors that contribute to unintentional and intentional injuries; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (including human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection); unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity. The YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as state, territorial, and local school-based surveys conducted by education and health agencies. This report summarizes results from the national survey, 33 state surveys, 3 territorial surveys, and 17 local surveys conducted among high school students from February through May 1997. In the United States, 73% of all deaths among youth and young adults 10-24 years of age result from only four causes: motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. Results from the national 1997 YRBSS demonstrate that many high school students engage in behaviors that increase their likelihood of death from these four causes--19.3% had rarely or never worn a seat belt; during the 30 days preceding the survey, 36.6% had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol; 18.3% had carried a weapon during the 30 days preceding the survey; 50.8% had drunk alcohol during the 30 days preceding the survey; 26.2% had used marijuana during the 30 days preceding the survey; and 7.7% had attempted suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey. Substantial morbidity among school-age youth, young adults, and their children also result from unintended pregnancies and STDs, including HIV infection. YRBSS results indicate that in 1997, 48.4% of high school students had ever had sexual intercourse; 43.2% of sexually active students had not used a condom at last sexual intercourse; and 2.1% had ever injected an illegal drug. Of all deaths and substantial morbidity among adults greater than or equal to 25 years of age, 67% result from two causes--cardiovascular disease and cancer. Most of the risk behaviors associated with these causes of death are initiated during adolescence. In 1997, 36.4% of high school students had smoked cigarettes during the 30 days preceding the survey; 70.7% had not eaten five or more servings of fruits and vegetables during the day preceding the survey; and 72.6% had not attended physical education class daily. These YRBSS data are already being used by health and education officials to improve national, state, and local policies and programs to reduce risks associated with the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. YRBSS data also are being used to measure progress toward achieving 21 national health objectives and one ...

Popularity, likeability, and risk-taking in middle adolescence

“…Similarly, popularity was associated with alcohol use as well as sexual intercourse, suggesting a dangerous combination of risk-taking, whereby popular adolescents may be at heightened vulnerability to the possible negative consequences of sexual activities, such as unwanted pregnancy and subsequent feelings of regret regarding their sexual activities, due to alcohol intoxication [46]. This is an important association given that almost one quarter of sexually active American adolescents had consumed alcohol or used other drugs before their last sexual experience [23]. Although popularity was not associated with unprotected sexual intercourse in this study, this could be due to the small number of adolescents participating in sexual activities, as associations between alcohol consumption and unprotected intercourse have been previously found [47].…”

“…This again suggests that some forms of sexual risk-taking are perceived positively, whereas others are not. Although it is currently unknown whether unprotected sexual activeties are associated with peer status, many adolescents engage in unsafe sexual practices, and almost 25% of sexually active American adolescents reported that their most recent sexual experience coincided with alcohol or drug use [23]. Therefore, it is important to understand potential predictors (such as popularity) of these widespread behaviours.…”

Risk factors for suicidal behavior among a national sample of adolescents: Implications for prevention

“…Respondents were asked about suicide attempts only if they had endorsed the suicidal ideation question. As in other epidemiologically oriented interviews, the suicidal ideation and attempt items were kept brief due to time constraints, and were consistent with those used in other epidemiological studies, such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (Dube et al, 2001) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (Dube et al, 2001;Goldston, 2003;Kann et al, 1998).…”

Key Determinants of the Health and Well-Being of Men and Boys

“…The violent victimization rate among those aged 12 to 19 years is 50% higher for boys than for girls (DHHS, 2000b). For example, among high school students, boys are more than twice as likely as girls to be injured in a physical fight (Kann et al, 1998). Among adolescent boys nationally, more than 1 in 10 (12%) reports that he has been physically abused (Schoen, Davis, DesRoches, & Shekhdar, 1998).…”