LEONARDTOWN, MD (February 20, 2020) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department and St. Mary’s County Public Schools will jointly host a Town Hall Meeting to present key findings from the 2018 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This Town Hall Meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, March 16, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center. This event is open to the community. Parents, youth, community members and local organizations who are interested in learning more about health risk behaviors of our students are encouraged to attend.
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-level education, health and governmental agencies. This survey monitors health-risk behaviors of the nation’s high school students which contribute to the leading causes of death, disability, and social issues among youth and young adults. Monitored behaviors include mental health; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behavior; violence; and diet, nutrition, and exercise.
“The YRBS data helps guide efforts to provide needed services in our community by identifying the most pressing health concerns affecting our youth,” said Dr. Meenakshi Brewster, Health Officer for St. Mary’s County.
The 2018 Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to students in the public high schools in St. Mary’s County. Participating students voluntarily 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.
Community members are encouraged to attend the upcoming Town Hall Meeting for a review of the results from this survey as well as information on local action to address youth health. For more information on the YRBS, visit www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/ or www.smchd.org/data.