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Background
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a statewide, school-based confidential
survey of Floridas public high school students. The purpose of the YRBS is to
monitor priority health-risk behaviors that contribute substantially to the
leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth, which
contribute to patterns in adulthood. The first Florida YRBS was administered in
1991. Since 2001, the YRBS has been jointly administered in odd-numbered years
by the Florida Departments of Health and Education. State data collection for
the YRBS does not include county-level data. However, six Florida counties
(Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach) are or have
been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect
county-level data. National, state, and county-level data (where available) can
be found on the CDCs YRBS website (YRBSS
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System - DASH/HealthyYouth).
In 2001, the YRBS became part of the Florida Youth Survey (FYS), which includes
the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS), the Middle School Health Behavior
Survey (MSHBS), and the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS). The YRBS
has been supported by many agencies, including the Florida Departments of
Education, Children and Families, and Juvenile Justice, school districts
throughout the state, and the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) at
the CDC.
Topics on the YRBS
The following topics are asked in this survey: 1) Demographic information (age,
gender, grade, race/ethnicity, weight, height); 2) Unintentional injuries and
violence; 3) Tobacco use; 4). Alcohol and other drug use; 5) Sexual behaviors;
6) Dietary behaviors; and 7) Physical activity.
Sampling Methods
The YRBS is based on a two-stage cluster probability sample design. First, a
random sample of public high schools is selected for participation in the
survey. Second, within each selected school, a random sample of classrooms is
selected, and all students in those classes are invited to participate in the
survey. The responses of the survey participants are weighted to be
representative of all Florida public high school students.
Target Population
Florida public
high school students (9-12 grade levels)
Data Analysis
Since the YRBS is
based on a two-stage cluster probability sampling methodology rather than a
simple random sample, SUDAAN or advanced components of SAS or other statistical
programs are recommended for the data analysis. Confidence interval is an
important measure of statistical significance and very useful when making
comparison between data.
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