What Is The Youth Risk Behavior Survey Yrbs?

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a national survey run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that tracks health behaviors in American high school students. It asks teenagers about things that affect their health now and later in life, such as smoking, drinking, drug use, sexual activity, diet, physical activity, and mental health. Schools across the country have used it since 1991 to measure what students actually do, not what adults assume they do.

That last point matters. The YRBS is one of the few large, ongoing sources of information about teen behavior that comes directly from teenagers themselves. Researchers, public health officials, and school districts use the results to spot trends, identify risks, and decide where to focus prevention efforts.

What Is The Youth Risk Behavior Survey Yrbs?

The YRBS is a school-based questionnaire given to students in grades 9 through 12. It is administered by the CDC in partnership with state and local education and health agencies. The national survey runs every two years, usually in the spring of odd-numbered years.

Students answer questions anonymously and voluntarily. The survey covers six broad categories of behavior that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults:

• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence
• Tobacco use
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Sexual behaviors that can lead to unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors
• Physical inactivity

The survey also asks about mental health, including feelings of sadness or hopelessness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. That focus has grown in recent years as concern about teen mental health has increased.

The YRBS is not a test. There are no grades, and no individual student is identified. Schools and districts receive grouped results, not personal data.

Who Takes The Survey And How Does It Work?

The national YRBS uses a carefully selected sample of public and private high schools. Schools are chosen to represent students across the country by region, urban or rural location, and demographics. Within each chosen school, entire classes are picked at random, and every student in those classes is invited to take part.

Participation is voluntary at every level. Schools can decline. Parents can opt their child out. Students can skip any question or stop at any time. Because of this, the results reflect the students who chose to participate, which researchers account for in their analysis.

The questionnaire is self-administered. Students usually fill it out on paper or a computer during a class period. Answers are anonymous, and the survey is designed so that no one can connect a response to a specific student.

States and large cities often run their own versions of the YRBS at the same time as the national survey. These local surveys may add or remove questions to match local concerns. That means a state’s results are not always directly comparable to the national numbers.

What Kinds Of Health Behaviors Does It Track?

The YRBS tracks behaviors that are linked to the major causes of illness and death in the United States. Some of these behaviors start in adolescence and carry into adulthood.

On injury and violence, the survey asks about seat belt use, riding with a driver who has been drinking, carrying a weapon, and being in physical fights.

On substance use, it asks about current and lifetime use of cigarettes, electronic vapor products, alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. It also asks about age of first use.

On sexual behavior, it asks whether students have ever had sex, their age at first sexual contact, and whether they used condoms or other birth control. These questions help public health officials understand risks for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

On diet and activity, it asks about fruit and vegetable intake, soda and sports drink consumption, physical activity levels, and screen time.

On mental health, the survey asks about persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, seriously considering suicide, making a suicide plan, and attempting suicide. These questions are worded carefully and reviewed by ethics boards.

Why Does The YRBS Matter For Public Health?

The YRBS gives the country a regular snapshot of teen behavior that no other single source provides. Before it existed, officials often relied on smaller studies or assumptions. The YRBS made it possible to see patterns over time and compare groups.

The data has shaped real decisions. When the survey showed rising use of electronic cigarettes among teens, it helped drive public health attention and policy discussion around vaping. When it showed declines in some risky behaviors, it gave researchers a way to study what might have worked.

The survey also reveals differences between groups. Results have consistently shown that some behaviors vary by sex, race, sexual identity, and grade level. This helps officials target prevention programs to the students who need them most.

One thing the YRBS cannot do is prove cause and effect. It describes what students report, not why they behave a certain way. A trend in the data is a signal to investigate, not a finished answer.

What Are The Limitations Of The Survey?

The YRBS has real limits, and researchers are open about them.

First, it relies on self-reporting. Students may misremember, exaggerate, or underreport certain behaviors. This is a known weakness of all surveys that ask about sensitive topics.

Second, it only reaches students who are in school. Teens who have dropped out or who are absent on the day of the survey are not included. Since some risky behaviors are more common among students who miss school, the results may not capture the full picture.

Third, the survey covers grades 9 through 12. It does not include younger adolescents or students who have already left high school.

Fourth, because participation is voluntary, the sample can shift from year to year. Low response rates can make comparisons harder.

Finally, the YRBS asks about behaviors, not diagnoses. It does not measure whether a student has depression or an anxiety disorder. It measures what they report feeling and doing.

How Are YRBS Results Used?

Results are published by the CDC and shared with states, school districts, and the public. Schools use them to plan health education and counseling programs. State health departments use them to set priorities and apply for funding. Researchers use them to study trends and test ideas about what influences teen behavior.

Parents and community members can also read the reports. The data is public and free to access through the CDC. It offers a grounded look at what teenagers across the country are actually doing, rather than what headlines suggest.

One non-obvious point: the YRBS is not designed to evaluate any single program or policy. It tracks the population over time. When a trend changes, it takes careful follow-up research to understand what caused it. The survey points to questions. It does not answer them on its own.

Is The Survey Anonymous And Safe For Students?

Yes. The YRBS is built around anonymity and voluntary participation. No names or identifying details are collected, and results are reported only in groups.

The survey questions, especially those about mental health and suicide, go through ethics review before they are used. Schools are given guidance on how to support students who may be affected by the questions, and students can skip anything they do not want to answer.

Parents who want to know whether their child’s school takes part can contact the school directly. Many schools send notices home before the survey is given.