Risky business?
Report identifies student behavior trends

A report, released Nov. 19, outlines high school students’ choices when it comes to behaviors considered risky to their health and well-being. The South Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey Trend Report presents data from Youth Risk Behavior Surveys administered from 1991 to 2005. Students in grades 9-12 at randomly selected public, private and Bureau of Indian Education schools participate in the survey, which is administered every other year.

“South Dakota is one of only three states that have been able to secure weighted data for every year the Youth Risk Behavior Survey has been conducted,” said April Hodges, who is with the Department of Education’s Coordinated School Health program. “Even though we are seeing improvement in a number of areas, the total percentage of students participating in some of these risky behaviors is still too high.”

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is a questionnaire that assesses the six priority health-risk behaviors that result in the greatest amount of morbidity, mortality and social problems among youth. These six priority health-risk behaviors include: injuries; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy; poor dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity.

Some of the major behavioral changes identified in the trend report include the following:

• Decrease in the percentage of students who, during the past 30 days, rode in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (50 percent in 1991 to 32 percent in 2005)
• Decrease in the percentage of students who, during the past 30 days, drove a vehicle when they had been drinking alcohol (28 percent in 1991 to 17 percent in 2005)
• Decrease in the percentage of students who reported binge drinking within the past month (41 percent in 1991 to 34 percent in 2005)
• Decrease in the percentage of students who considered attempting suicide (30 percent in 1991 to 19 percent in 2005)
• Decrease in the percentage of students who have ever tried cigarettes (69 percent in 1991 to 61 percent in 2005), used smokeless tobacco (23 percent in 1995 to 13 percent in 2005), or used methamphetamine (10 percent in 1999 to 7 percent in 2005)
• Increase in the percentage of students who ever used marijuana (21 percent in 1991 to 37 percent in 2005)
• Decrease in the percentage who have ever had sexual intercourse (48 percent in 1991 to 44 percent in 2005)
• Decrease in the percentage who have been taught about AIDS/HIV in school (88 percent in 1991 to 86 percent in 2005)
• Increase in the percentage of students who are at risk for becoming overweight (11 percent in 1999 to 14 percent in 2005)

The South Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey is funded by the Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services. To view a complete copy of the Trend Report, click here.