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Kansas has weighted data for the YRBS for 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2019. A booklet and a set of flyers highlighting findings and data results from the 2019 Kansas YRBS can be found below.

New YRBS Booklet!
We are pleased to share the latest 2019 YRBS booklet highlighting results, the implications of trends, as well as some good news and strategies for making small, incremental changes to improve health behaviors. The booklet was developed to give insight into health behaviors of Kansas high school students, address emerging trends, and help put these trends into perspective. Please contact us if you have questions or wish to receive a hard copy of the booklet.

2019 Kansas YRBS Booklet

New YRBS Posters!
We also would like to share a series of flyers that were developed from the 2019 Kansas Youth Risk Behavior Survey results. The posters highlight some of the findings relative to Dietary Behaviors, Physical Activity, Tobacco Use, Alcohol and Other Drug Use, Sexual Behaviors and Injury and Violence. Please contact us if you have questions or wish to receive a hard copy of any or all of the posters.

2019 YRBS Flyers

YRBS Background and Overview
The YRBS was developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that are primary contributors to the leading causes of death, disability and social problems among youth and adults in the U.S. These 6 behaviors are often established during childhood and consist of tobacco use, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors, physical activity, nutrition, and unintentional and intentional injuries.

The YRBS was designed to: a) Determine the prevalence of health risk behaviors, b) Monitor the pattern of these behaviors over time, c) Assess the co-occurrence with other health risk behaviors, d) Allow comparison to National, State, and Local data, e) Allow comparisons among youth subpopulations, and f) Assist with monitoring progress toward program indicators and objectives (i.e. Healthy People 2020).

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) oversees the YRBS. The CDC selects a random sample of schools from each state to participate in the survey. In Kansas, the administration of the survey is overseen by KSDE staff. Selected schools are contacted and asked to participate. HKS staff works with participating schools to schedule survey administration, which typically involves 2-3 randomly-selected classes (i.e. Biology, World History) from the school. The entire process is confidential, with no means of linking the student with his/her individual responses. Once the data is collected, KSDE submits it to the CDC for analysis. 

The impact of the YRBS data is to:

1. Create Awareness among schools, parents, health educators, students, media,
2. Set program goals for school health initiatives, Healthy People 2020 objectives, CDC programs,
3. Develop programs and policies for schools, at-risk initiatives, communities,
4. Support health-related legislation such as drug-free or weapon-free school zones, minor’s access laws, drinking and driving regulations, competitive food policies, and restrictions on billboards/advertising.

For information on or questions regarding Kansas YRBS, contact Mark Thompson at mathompson@ksde.org or 785-296-6823.

Additional information about the YRBS can be found at the Centers for Disease Control web page.