Risky behaviors among high school students decreasing

AORN Journal, August, 2004

The 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) found that although many high school students continue to engage in a variety of behaviors that put them at risk for injury and disease, significant improvements have occurred during the Last decade, according to a May 20, 2004, news release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The YRBSS is a survey sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services that is conducted every two years with scientifically-selected samples of high school students throughout the United States. For the 2003 national survey, 15,214 questionnaires were completed by students in the ninth to 12th grades.

The 2003 YRBSS found that there have been improvements in risk behaviors related to sexual activity, injuries and violence, and tobacco and alcohol use during the past 12 years. The following behaviors related to sexual activity have improved among high school students since 1991.

* The percentage of high school students who reported ever having sexual intercourse decreased to 47% in 2003 from 54% in 1991.

* The number of students who reported having had four or more sex partners decreased to 14% in 2003 from 19% in 1991.

* The percentage of sexually active students who used a condom during Last sexual intercourse increased from 43% in 1991 to 63% in 2003.

Improvements in risk behaviors related to injuries and violence include the percentage of high school students who had been in a physical fight (ie, 33% in 2003 versus 43% in 1991) and the percentage of high school students who rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (ie, 30% in 2003 versus 40% in 1991). Behaviors associated with tobacco and alcohol use showed improvements in the percentage of high school students who reported current cigarette smoking (ie, 22% in 2003 versus 28% in 1991) and the percentage of high school students who had ever drunk alcohol (ie, 75% in 2003 versus 82% in 1991).

Despite Improvements, Many High School Students Still Engaging in Risky Health Behaviors (news release, Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 20, 2004) http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel /r040520b.htm (accessed 24 May 2004).