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.