2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
2009 WEST VIRGINIAMIDDLE SCHOOL
YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
West Virginia Department of Education
June 2010
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
The YRBS is one component of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with representatives from state and local departments of education and health, other federal agencies, and national education and health organizations. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was designed to focus the nation on behaviors among youth related to the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among both youth and adults and to assess how these risk behaviors change over time. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
measures behaviors that fall into six categories:
1. Unintentional injuries and violence;
2. Tobacco use;
3. Alcohol and other drug use;
4. Sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies;
5. Dietary behaviors; and
6. Physical activity.
The YRBS also measures asthma and self-reported height and weight to allow calculation of body mass index for assessment of overweight and obesity.
The Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS-M) was completed by 1,947 students in 33 public middle schools in West Virginia during the spring of 2009. The school response rate was 94%, the student response rate was 84%, and the overall response rate was 79%. The results are representative of all students in grades6-8. The weighted demographic characteristics of the sample are as follows:
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
Sex:
Female 48.5%
Male 51.5%
Grade level
6th grade 32.7%
7th grade 33.0%
8th grade 34.1%
Other 0.2%
Race:
White* 92.8%
Black*5.4%.
Hispanic/ Latino 0.6%;
Multiple races 0.6%
All other races 0.5%
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
*Non-Hispanic
Students completed a self-administered, anonymous, 48-item questionnaire. Survey procedures were designed to protect the privacy of students by allowing foranonymous and voluntary participation. Local parental permission procedures were followed before survey administration.
The following isa brief summary of major survey results and comparisons of2009 YRBS datato 2007YRBS data. The 2003 or 2005 surveys were not administered toWV middle schools.
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
Key Findings
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
TOBACCO USE
Percentage of students who ever tried cigarette smoking, even one or two puffs decreased from 34.8% in 2007 to 32.1% in 2009.
Students who smoked cigarettes on one or more of the past 30 days decreased from 11.7% in 2007 to 11.3% in 2009.
Among the students who reported current cigarette use, those who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day on the days they smoked during the past 30 days decreased from 13.1% in 2007 to 11.1% in 2009.
Students who used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on one or more of the past 30 days increased from 6.5% in 2007 to 8.8% in 2009.
Daily cigarette smoking during the past month (one or more of the past 30 days) decreased from 7.8% in 2007 to 7.4% in 2009.
Those who smoked cigarettes or cigars, used smokeless or chewing tobacco on one or more of the past 30 days increased from 15.1% in 2007 to 15.9% in 2009.
ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG USE
Percentage of students who ever had a drink of alcohol, other than a few sips decreasedfrom39.9% in 2007 to 36.9% in 2009..
Percentage of students who ever used marijuana increased from 11.5% in 2007 to 12.0% in 2009.
Students who ever used any form of cocaine increased from 5.1% in 2007 to 6.2% in 2009.
Percentage of students who ever sniffed glue, breathed the contents of spray cans, or inhaled any paints or sprays to get high decreased from 13.3% in 2007 to 13.2% in 2009..
INJURY AND VIOLENCE
Percentage of students who ever rode in a car driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol decreased from 32.6% in 2007 to 30.8% in 2009.
Weapon carrying, such as a gun, knife or club decreased from 43.8% in 2007 to 41.5% in 2009.
Percentage of students who had ever been in a physical fight decreased from 69.9% in 2007 to 57.4% in 2009.
Percentage of students who never or rarely wore a seat belt when riding in a cardecreased from 11.9% in 2007 to 11.4% in 2009.
Students who attended physical education classes daily in an average week increased from 72.4% in 2007 to 74.0% in 2009.
SUICIDAL THINKING AND BEHAVIOR
Having seriously considered suicide increased from 17.6% in 2007 to 19.9% in 2009.
SEXUALITY EDUCATION
The percentage of students who say they have ever been taught in school about AIDS or HIV decreased from 69.4% in 2007 to 62.8% in 2009.
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND DIETARY BEHAVIORS
The percentage of students who described themselves as slightly or very overweight decreased from 27.6% in 2007 to 26.4% in 2009.
The percent of students who were trying to lose weight decreased from 51.3% in 2007 to 47.6% in 2009.
The percentage of students who had ever exercised to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight increased from 77.0% in 2007 to 73.5% in 2009.
Students who had ever eaten less food, fewer calories, or foods low in fat to lose weight or keep from gaining weight decreased from 52.6% in 2007 to 47.4% in 2009.
The percent of students who had ever taken diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor’s advice to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight decreased from 7.2% in 2007 to 6.3% in 2009 .
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Students who were physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day on five or more days last week decreased from 65.1%in 2007 to 57.6% in 2009.
The percentage of students who watched three or more hours per day of TV on an average school day
increased from 34.6% in 2007 to 35.1% in 2009. (NOTE: Computers, PDA’s, Cell phones and texting
not considered in question)
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
SUMMARY OF OTHER KEY FINDINGS
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
In 2009,the first year of collecting bullying data, 46.6% of students reported being bullied at school.
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
CONCLUSION
The results of the 2009 West Virginia YRBS for middle schools illustrate that a substantial percentage of middle school youthengage in behaviors that could place them at risk for serious health problems. Although West Virginia schools alone cannot address the personal, physical, and emotional needs of children, they must work in collaboration with parents and community agencies in helping students prevent present and future health problems. Successful school programs that help reduce risky behaviors should be examined and duplicated by schools and communities that demonstrate the greatest needs. The percentage of students who reported that they carried weapons continues to be noteworthy as well as the percentage of students who had ever been in a physical fight and/or bullied. This indicates a great need for middle schools to focus on creating a positive school climates where violence is not tolerated. Schools need to create more opportunities for students to engage in physical activities during the school day and encourage opportunities outside of the school environment.
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2009 WEST VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOLYOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
Key findings from the 2009 YRBS highlight both improvements and significant concerns regarding adolescent risk behaviors in West Virginia.
Key findings of improvements include:
- Significantly fewer WV youth are using tobacco, and tobacco users are initiating their tobacco use later and using less.
- Adolescent helmet use when riding bikes or skateboarding has improved.
- The percentage of middle school students reporting ever drinking alcohol has decreased significantly.
Key findings of concerns include:
- Although incidents of fighting have decreased, this continues to be a problem as well as reported weapon possession.
- Almost half of middle school students report being bullied at school.
- Middle school students have reported being less active while watching more television. They have also reported exercising less to lose weight.
- Fewer students are smoking,however, smokeless tobacco use is increasing.
It is important to maintain the positive momentum in those areas of success, and focus attention on areas of concern. The efforts of Local School Wellness Councils to coordinate school health programs and continually emphasize the relationship between health and academic achievement can contribute to the development of successful, healthy youth.
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