YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY (YRBS)

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) collects information on health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and young adults. It is traditionally been a paper survey administered to Hawaiʻi public school students every other year. As of 2021, students were also able on complete the survey at school online. Two different surveys are administered: one to middle school students (grades 6-8) and one to high school students (grades 9-12). Since 2003, the YRBS has been administered with the Youth Tobacco Survey to public school students throughout Hawaiʻi as a module within the Hawaiʻi School Health Survey.

The sample is chosen using a two-stage, stratified random sampling method. The results are weighted by sex, grade, and race/ethnicity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires a response rate of at least 60% to weight state YRBS data. Hawaiʻi does not have state-level data for high schools in 2001 or 2003. County-level data began to be collected in 2011. The response rate for high schools in Hawaiʻi County in 2011 was not sufficient for weighting, so high school county level data are not reported in 2011.

National and state estimates for the high school survey can be obtained using YRBS Explorer or the Youth Online query tool. The YRBS is a joint effort of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and the University of Hawaiʻi Curriculum Research & Development Group in collaboration with the CDC.

Data Release Notes

The surveys we use to collect data are constantly being updated. As the surveys evolve, new indicators are created and old indicators are removed. The data release notes contain information about new indicators and dimensions that have been added each year. General data release notes are available on the YRBS Health Indicator Selection page.

Year	Students Surveyed	Hawai‘i Surveys	Data Release Notes	CDC Documentation
2023	MS - 5,257 HS - 4,384	MS YRBS 2023 HS YRBS 2023	2023 Release Notes	2023 Data User's Guide
2021	MS - 5,458 HS - 5,637	MS YRBS 2021 HS YRBS 2021	2021 Release Notes	2021 Data User's Guide
2019	MS - 6,591 HS - 5,879	MS YRBS 2019 HS YRBS 2019	2019 Release Notes	2019 Data User’s Guide
2017	MS - 6,418 HS - 6,031	MS YRBS 2017 HS YRBS 2017		2017 Data User’s Guide
2015	MS - 6,374 HS - 6,089	MS YRBS 2015 HS YRBS 2015	2015 Release Notes	2015 Data User’s Guide
2013	MS - 5,036 HS - 4,631	MS YRBS 2013 HS YRBS 2013		2013 Data User’s Guide
2011	MS - 5,109 HS - 4,329	MS YRBS 2011 HS YRBS 2011	2011 Release Notes	2011 Data User’s Guide
2009	MS - 1,611 HS - 1,511	MS YRBS 2009 HS YRBS 2009		2009 Data User’s Guide
2007	MS - 1,231 HS - 1,191	MS YRBS 2007 HS YRBS 2007		2007 Data User’s Guide
2005	MS - 1,693 HS - 1,662	MS YRBS 2005 HS YRBS 2005		2005 Data User’s Guide
2003	MS - 7,709* HS - No Data**	MS YRBS 2003 HS YRBS 2003		2003 Data User’s Guide
2001	MS - 1,495* HS - No Data**	MS YRBS 2001 HS YRBS 2001		2001 Data User’s Guide

* MS data was collected and weighted in 2001 and 2003 and is loaded into the HHDW. Please submit a data request if you are interested in this data.
** 2001 and 2003 high school data are not available for analysis because they did not meet CDC weighting standards

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Reports

Report Requests

If you have searched our website, and still can’t find what you are looking for, we are here to help. Please click on the button and fill out a request form.  

Please give us as much notice as possible as some requests take longer than others. An HHDW team member will contact you via email or phone for a follow-up.

Report Request

Record Level Data Request

If you are interested in obtaining de-identified record-level data for your own analyses, please click on the button to see the instructions. 

Most record-level data requests can be processed within 2-4 weeks, but delays in the approval process can extend the timeline.

Record Level Data Request

Data Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website provides extensive documentation and survey results for participating states and territories.
• Hawaiʻi School Health Survey – Youth Risk Behavior Survey module website provides information about the survey implementation in Hawaiʻi.