Survey questions are developed or approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Students do not report their name or any other identifiable information on the survey.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention work with Westat to select a sample of around 40 Arizona high schools to participate from a list of all eligible Arizona high schools.

ADHS develops outreach and support materials and sends an invitation packet to the district superintendent of the selected Arizona high schools, asking them to participate in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

If a school chooses not to participate, another school cannot be selected in its place.

ADHS works with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to support participating schools to select classrooms, a survey date, and provide permission forms to households.

On the date of the survey, an ICF data collector comes to the school and provides the survey to students in grades nine through 12 to individuals who have written parent or guardian permission.

Students complete the self-administered questionnaire by recording their responses directly on either an answer sheet containing no personal identifiers or on an electronic device such as a computer that can’t be traced to an individual student. There is no way to identify a student taking the survey.

It takes approximately 35 minutes for students to record their responses.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was developed in 1990 to gather information on health behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of illness, death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States.

The survey collects valuable information about priority health behaviors and experiences among Arizona teens.

These health behaviors include:

• Dietary behaviors
• Physical activity behaviors
• Tobacco use
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV
• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence

View the survey questions from previous years:

• 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
• 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey [2021 Map Form]
• 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey [2019 Map Form]

If students are uncomfortable answering any question, they can leave it blank.

The survey is conducted every two years, falling on odd-numbered years.

Survey results are used by school districts, communities, and organizations to understand and meet student needs, identify emerging health issues, and obtain funding for programs that support teen health.

View past survey results.

View YRBS infographics

• ACEs & Interpersonal Support in Adolescents
• Mental Health & Supportive Relationships
• Smoking and Vaping
• Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors

Read YRBS Reports

• Detail Tables
• Summary Tables
• Sexual Identity Report
• Data Graphs

Support from parents, selected schools and classrooms, district and school staff, and partner organizations is appreciated and important to the success of the YRBS.

Read letters of support for the YRBS from the Arizona Parent-Teach Association president and National Alliance on Mental Illness executive director.

Nationally, many major national youth, health, and education organizations have provided letters of support for the YRBS including:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics
• The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
• Advocates for Youth, the American School Counselor Association
• Boys and Girls Clubs of America
• The National Association of County and City Health Officials
• The National Association of School Nurses
• The National Association of School Psychologists
• The National Association of State Boards of Education
• The National Catholic Educational Association
• The National Education Association
• The National PTA
• The School Superintendents Association

When Arizona students have completed their surveys, the responses are securely sent to Westat for data processing and then to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where a data report is created.

Final reports are shared with the Arizona Department of Health Services and the state Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data is made available to the public at no cost through the CDC YRBS website and on the ADHS YRBS results page.

We take student privacy with the utmost seriousness.Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data results do not track back to any individual student or school. Published reports do not include names of schools or students.

Survey administration procedures are designed to protect student privacy by allowing for anonymous and voluntary participation.

Students complete the self-administered questionnaire by recording their responses directly on an answer sheet containing no personal identifiers or on an electronic device such as a computer that can’t be traced to an individual student.

Students’ desks are spread throughout the classroom to minimize the chance that students will see each other’s responses. Students also are encouraged to use an extra sheet of paper provided by the data collector to cover their responses as they complete the questionnaire. For electronic administration, only one question appears at a time to prevent responses from being seen by others.

All YRBS data is archived and preserved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in accordance with all laws, regulations, and rights.

Students who participate cannot be tracked because no identifying information is collected. Each year a new sample of schools and students is drawn.

You can either manually or digitally sign a Parent Guardian Permission Form.

In Arizona, the survey is partially funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).