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Youth Risk Behavior Survey​

What is the Youth Risk Behavior Survey?

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) was developed by the Division of Adolescent and School Health, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The Pennsylvania Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is part of the National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System created and managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor health-risk behaviors of the nation's high school students. These behaviors, in turn, result in the most significant causes of both mortality and morbidity during youth and adulthood. The behaviors monitored by the Pennsylvania YRBS include traffic safety; weapons and violence; suicide; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behavior; and diet, nutrition, and exercise.

All Pennsylvania public schools are eligible to participate. In a random sample of schools, students from a random sample of 9th-12th grade classes are asked to complete the YRBS. Pennsylvania has administered the YRBS biannually since 1991.

The Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Health, through a collaborative effort to reduce the burden of surveys on Pennsylvania schools, administered the 2019 Pennsylvania Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in randomly selected high schools and middle schools (every four years) across the commonwealth. The middle school YRBS contained additional tobacco/e-cigarette related questions and any questions related to sexual activity were omitted.

2019 Pennsylvania YRBS Data Highlights

Click on the infographics below to view.

YRBS Tobacco HS YRBS Tobacco MS
YRBS Overview HS YRBS overview MS



Pennsylvania Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results 

2019 Pennsylvania YRBS Graphs

  • Unintentional Injuries and Violence………………... slides 1-66
  • Tobacco Use…………………………………………. slides 67-118
  • Alcohol and Other Drug Use…………………….…. slides 119-171
  • Sexual Behaviors……………………………………. slides 172-204
  • Obesity, Overweight, and Weight Control………… slides 205-216
  • Dietary Behavior……………………………………... slides 217-279
  • Physical Activity……………………………………… slides 280-306
  • Other Health Topics…………………………………. slides 307-352

2019 Selected Results from the School District of Philadelphia

For more information on 2019 YRBS Results and Data Available, visit CDC Adolescent and School Health.  

Quitting tobacco