LEONARDTOWN, MD (May 9, 2018) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) and St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) will jointly host a presentation of key findings from the 2016 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This presentation and discussion is scheduled to take place on Monday, May 21, 2018 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the SMCPS Division of Supporting Services training room, located at 27190 Point Lookout Road in Loveville, behind Benjamin Banneker Elementary School.
The YRBS is a national school-based survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with state and local education systems and public health agencies. This survey monitors health-risk behaviors of the nation’s high school students, including those factors which contribute to the leading causes of death, disability, and social distress among youth and young adults. Monitored topics include mental health; tobacco, alcohol and other drug use; sexual behavior; violence and injury prevention; and nutrition and exercise.
Participating students in the 2016 YRBS completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire about their health behaviors. Survey procedures were designed to protect the privacy of students and adhered to local parental permission procedures. Data goes through months of review at the national level prior to being available for local jurisdictional use.
“Aggregate YRBS data helps us monitor some of the most pressing health concerns affecting our youth,” said Dr. Meenakshi Brewster, Health Officer for St. Mary’s County. “This information then informs community-wide efforts to promote the health and safety of our young residents.”
Community members are encouraged to attend the upcoming presentation to review results from this survey and discuss local community action to address youth health. For more information on the YRBS, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/ or the SMCHD website at http://www.smchd.org/data.
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