OVERVIEW OF MAJOR FINDINGS

There is much important and relevant information to be found in an analysis of the tabulations of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey as taken by students from the Arlington Public Schools.  This is true when one looks at the tabulations of all students taken as a group, and is especially so when one looks at the cross-tabulations by grade and gender.

With students having responded to 124 questions, much can be said about the responses to each of those questions.  However, it is not the intention here to discuss the results of each question.  Rather, it is the intention of this report to highlight certain of the results and to offer comparisons with the Arlington High School YRBS of 2004 and with data gathered from the implementation of the 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey.  It is hoped that the following as well as a more detailed analysis of the results of this survey, will assist the Arlington Public Schools and their Health Advisory Committee in their on-going development of health education curriculum.

HIGH SCHOOL - GRADES 9, 10, 11 AND 12

The following also includes comparisons with certain of the data from the 2005 MA YRBS.  It should be noted that the report on the 2005 MA YRBS often only provides aggregate data on all students from grades 9 through 12 and not on the results from specific grades.  Further, several questions in this survey are not included in the MA YRBS.

SAFETY

•    18.2% of all respondents (23.2% - 2004) (27.2% - MA YRBS) report having ridden in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol on at least one occasion during the thirty days prior to the survey. The incidence of this experience was highest in grade 12 (grade 9 – 13.8%, grade 10 – 16.9%, grade 11 – 15.9%, grade 12 – 27.3%). There was little variation by gender (females – 19.2%, males – 17.1%).

•    7.2% of all respondents (10.2% - 2004) (10.5% - MA YRBS) report having driven a car or other vehicle after they had been drinking alcohol on at least one occasion during the thirty days prior to the survey.  Respondents from grade 12 (14.5%) were much more likely to have done so (grade 9 – 3.5%, grade 10 – 4.1%, grade 11 – 7.5%) (females – 5.8%, males – 8.8%).

•    62.9% of all respondents (67.6% - 2004) report that they have sped or have been driven in a speeding car.  The incidence of this behavior/experience increased each year by grade (grade 9 – 48.1%, grade 10 – 63.2%, grade 11 – 66.9%, grade 12 – 75.5%).  There was no variation by gender.

•    7.0% of all respondents (6.6% - 2004) report having been harassed, teased, or physically abused because of their gender at school or on the way to or from school at least once during the six months prior to the survey (grade 9 – 7.3%, grade 10 – 5.5%, grade 11 – 6.4%, grade 12 – 8.6%). Female respondents (7.7%) report having had this experience slightly more often than males (6.3%).