Youth Risk Behavior Survey
What is the Ohio Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)?
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is part of a nationwide surveying effort conducted every two years in a sample of high schools across the state. This effort is led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor students' health risks and behaviors in six categories identified as most likely to result in adverse outcomes. These categories include unintentional injury and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and disease; dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity. The YRBS is the largest public health surveillance system in the U.S. and the only reliable source of state-level, health behavior data for the teen population in Ohio. Ohio has participated in the YRBS since 1993.
The YRBS data are used at state and local levels to:
- Compare Ohio's progress to achieving national objectives
- Assess trends in priority health-risk behaviors among high school students
- Evaluate the impact of school board and community interventions and
- Provide data for informed legislative, policy and practice decisions
Ohio Youth Risk Behavior Survey/ Youth Tobacco Survey
In 2019, the Ohio Department of Health combined the YRBS with another CDC survey, the Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS), resulting in the Ohio Youth Risk Behavior Survey/Youth Tobacco Survey. The combination of the surveys also resulted in expanded the survey population to middle schools. The 2019 YRBS/YTS resulted in weighted high school and middle school data.
For information about the YRBS, please contact Jon Kraus at jonathan.kraus@odh.ohio.gov.
Please send any data requests to odhyouthsurveys@odh.ohio.gov.
2023 YRBS/YTS Questionnaire Development Workgroup Meetings
The dates and times for the 2023 YRBS/YTS Questionnaire Development Workgroup Meetings have been decided. The primary role of these workgroups is to determine the questionnaire content for the next YRBS/YTS survey administration of fall 2023. All meetings are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on the specified dates and can be joined virtually by clicking the links below.
- January 10, 2023: Substance Use and Mental Health Workgroup. You may click this link to join the meeting.
- January 17, 2023: Injury & Violence Workgroup. You may click this link to join the meeting.
- January 23, 2023: Other Health-Related Topics Workgroup. You may click this link to join the meeting.
- January 26, 2023: Nutrition & Physical Activity Workgroup. You may click this link to join the meeting.