West Virginia Department of Education
January 2012

2011 WEST VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
The YRBS is one component of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) developed by the CDC in collaboration with representatives from state and local departments of education and health, other federal agencies, and national education and health organizations. The YRBSS 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 YRBS also measures self-reported height and weight to allow calculation of body mass index as well as health data associated with asthma. The YRBSS 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
6. Physical activity
The West Virginia High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an 86-item self-reporting questionnaire that has been administered every two years since 1993 by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE). During the 2011
High School YRBS administration, a total of 35 public high schools were randomly selected from around the state, with all 35 participating. Survey procedures were designed to protect the privacy of students by allowing for anonymous and voluntary participation. Parental permission procedures were followed at the local level before surveys were administered to students. In total, 2,170 students in grades 9 through 12 participated in this voluntary and anonymous survey, with a school response rate of
100% and the student response rate of 82%. The overall response rate was 82%. The participation rates from individual schools along with the high levels of student response rates have been scientifically weighted which allows survey results to be generalized to all public high school students across West Virginia. West Virginia YRBS data has been weighted every year the survey has been conducted except 2001. The weighted demographic characteristics of the sample are as follows:
Sex:
Female 48.6%
Male 51.4%
Grade level
9th grade 27.9%
10 th grade 25.8%
11 th grade 23.6%
12 th grade 22.7%
Race:
White* 92.7%
Black* 5.2%.
Hispanic/ Latino 0.8%;
Multiple races 0.7%
All other races 0.6%
*Non-Hispanic
The following is a brief synopsis of major survey results and comparisons of the 2011 YRBS data to previous years. The full report can be accessed at: http://wvde.state.wv.us/osshp/main/programs.html
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2011 WEST VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
TOBACCO USE
The percentage of students who ever tried cigarette smoking decreased to 55.2% in 2009 to 47.1% in 2011.
Early initiation of cigarette smoking (i.e., before age
13) decreased from 17.6% in 2009 to 13.1% in 2011.
Cigar smoking decreased 14.3% in 2009 to 11.7% in
2011.

Smokeless tobacco use remained 14.4% in 2009 to
14.4% in 2011.
The percentage of students who smoked cigarettes on
20 or more of the past 30 days decreased from 11.4% in 2009 to 8.3% in 2011.
Current cigarette smoking (i.e., smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day on the days they smoked during the past 30 days) decreased from 12.9% in 2009 to
10.6% in 2011.
Smoking on school property decreased from to 5.5% in 2009 to 4.0% in 2011.
Daily cigarette smoking during the past month (one or more of the past 30 days) decreased from 17.7% in
2009 to 12.0% in 2011.
Those who smoked cigarettes or cigars or used smokeless or chewing tobacco on one or more of the past 30 days decreased from 29.5% in 2009 to 27.2% in 2011.
ALCOHOL USE
Early initiation of alcohol use (i.e., before age 13), decreased from 22.7% in 2009 to 19.2% in 2011.
Alcohol use on school property decreased from 5.7% in 2009 to 4.2% in 2011.
Students who had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more of the past 30 days decreased from 40.4% in
2009 to 34.3% in 2011.
Students who had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more days during their life decreased from 73.4% in 2009 to 68.5% in 2011.
Binge drinking (i.e., consuming five or more drinks in a row within a couple of hours) in the past month, decreased from 27.2% in 2009 to 20.2% in 2011.
ILLEGAL DRUG USE
The use of marijuana one or more times during their life decreased from 38.9% in 2009 to
36.9% in 2011.
The percentage of students who tried marijuana for the first time before age 13 decreased from
9.0% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2011.
The use of marijuana in the 30 days before the survey decreased from 20.3% in 2009 to 19.7% in 2011.
Marijuana use on school property decreased from
3.9% in 2009 to 3.0% in 2011.
Students who used any form of cocaine one or more times during their life decreased from 8.3% in 2009 to 5.1% in 2011.
Students who sniffed glue, breathed the contents of aerosol spray cans, or inhaled any paints or sprays to get high one or more times during their life decreased from 15.3% in 2009 to 9.8% in
2011.
Lifetime methamphetamine use decreased from
6.5% in 2009 to 3.7% in 2011.
The percentage of students who were offered, sold, or given an illegal drug by someone on school property during the past 12 months decreased from 28.0% in 2009 to 17.3% in
2011.
INJURY AND VIOLENCE
The percentage of students who drove a car or other vehicle one or more times in the past month when they had been drinking alcohol decreased from 7.5% in 2009 to 6.7% in 2011.
Weapon carrying in the past month such as a gun, knife or club decreased from 24.4% in 2009 to
20.7% in 2011.
Gun carrying during the past 30 days decreased significantly from 10.1% in 2009 to 5.6% in
2011.
Weapon carrying on school property such as a gun, knife or club decreased from 6.5% in 2009 to 5.5% in 2011.
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2011 WEST VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
The percentage of students who did not go to school on one or more days in the past month because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school has decreased from 7.8% in 2009 to 4.9% in 2011.
The percentage of students who were in a physical fight on school property one or more times during the past year decreased from 11.3% in 2009 to 10.3% in
2011.
Students who were ever hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend/girlfriend during the past year decreased from 13.8% in 2009 to 10.3% in
2011.
The percentage of students who never or rarely wore a seat belt when riding in a car driven by someone else decreased from 14.0% in 2009 to 13.8% in 2011.
The percentage of students who ever had been bullied on school property during the past year decreased from 21.3% in 2009 to 18.6% in 2011
The percentage of students who say they have ever been taught in school about AIDS or HIV increased from 86.3% in 2009 to 88.0% in 2011.
Among the students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, the percentage that used birth control pills increased from 23.1% in 2009 to 25.5% in 2011.
Among students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, the percentage that used a condom during last sexual intercourse increased from 54.4% in 2009 to 60.3% in 2011.
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND DIETARY
BEHAVIORS
The percent of students who were overweight increased from 14.3% in 2009 to 15.7% in 2011.
The percentage of students who were obese increased from 14.1% in 2009 to 14.6% in 2011.
The percentage of students who described themselves as slightly or very overweight increased from 30.6% in 2009 to 32.7% in 2011.
SUICIDAL THINKING AND BEHAVIOR
The percentage of students who have seriously considered suicide in the past year decreased from
18.0% in 2009 to 13.0% in 2011.
The percentage of students who actually attempted suicide one or more times during the past year decreased from 10.7% in 2009 to 5.5% in 2011.
Having made a suicide attempt requiring medical treatment decreased from 4.6% in 2009 to 1.9% in
2011.
SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND SEXUALITY
EDUCATION
The percentage of students who had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 decreased from 6.0% in 2009 to 4.9% in 2011.
The percentage of students who have ever had sexual intercourse decreased from 54.1% in 2009 to 50.9% in 2011.
Students who had sexual intercourse with four or more people during their life decreased from 15.5% in
2009 to 12.4% in 2011.
Of the students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, the percentage who drank alcohol or used drugs prior to decreased from 22.3% in 2009 to 19.8% in 2011.
The percentage of students who were trying to lose weight decreased from 48.4% in 2009 to 46.8% in
2011.
The percent of youth who ate the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day increased from 18.2% in 2009 to 25.0% in 2011.
The percentage of students who drank a can, bottle, or glass of soda one or more times per day during the past seven days increased from 34.5% in 2009 to
39.1% in 2011.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Students who were physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day on five or more days during the week prior to the survey increased from 41.8% in
2009 to 52.4% in 2011.
The percentage of students who watched three or more hours per day of TV on an average school day decreased from 31.5% in 2009 to 31.2% in 2011.
(Video games, computers, and text messaging were not included in this measurement).
Students who attended physical education classes daily in an average week increased from 24.0% in
2009 to 27.7% in 2011.
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2011 WEST VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY RESULTS
CONCLUSION
The results of the 2011 West Virginia YRBS for high schools illustrate that a substantial percentage of high school youth engage 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 adolescents, 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. Findings from the 2011 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 inhalants.

There has been a significant decrease in binge drinking among students.

All illegal drug use continues to be on the decline .

Sale of illegal drugs on school property has decreased significantly.

Of students reporting having sexual intercourse, there was a significant increase in condom use.

Instances of bullying on school property decreased significantly.

Students who reported carrying guns decreased dramatically.

Abusive and violent behaviors regarding boyfriend/girlfriend relationships decreased significantly.

The trend for suicidal behaviors is moving in a positive direction.

The percent of adolescents who report eating fruits and vegetables increased significantly.
Key finding of concerns include:

Smokeless tobacco use has not changed and is still problematic .

Although the percentage of students reporting to have sexual intercourse decreased , WV is still above the national average.

Overweight/obesity continues to show an increase among WV high school students.
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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