June 8, 2006 -- Survey Finds High Schoolers Use Seat Belts More, Drink Less

There have been reductions in some risk behaviors by high school students, according to the 2005 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with more students reporting they wear seat belts when riding in a car and fewer students reporting current use of alcohol. The percentage of students who said they have never had sexual intercourse was roughly the same in 2005 as in 2003—47 percent—but that’s down from a high of 54 percent in 1991. In addition, 63 percent of sexually active students reported that they or a partner used a condom during last sexual intercourse, the same as in 2003 but an improvement over the 46 percent who reported condom use in 1991. Compared with white and Hispanic high school students, black high school students are least likely to use tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs, but most likely to report sexual risk behaviors and sedentary behaviors such as watching television three or more hours a day. White students are less likely than black or Hispanic high school students to report physical fighting, sexual risk behaviors, and being overweight, but more likely to engage in frequent cigarette smoking and episodic heavy drinking. Hispanic students are more likely than black or white students to report attempted suicide and the use of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data are available at www.cdc.gov/yrbs.