The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is conducted every two years by the Coordinated School Health Team at the Kentucky Department of Education. The YRBS is funded by the Center for Disease Control’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. The survey is given to high school students across Kentucky. For more information on the YRBS
visit http://www.education.ky.gov .
Some key findings from the 2007 YRBS are:
• 50.3% of high school students have ever had sexual intercourse
• Blacks (65.1%) are more likely than whites (48.3%) to have ever had sexual intercourse
• 7.8% of high school students had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13
• Males (10.0%) are more likely than females (5.8%) to have had sexual intercourse before age 13
• Blacks (17.6%) and Hispanic/Latinos (15.6%) are more likely than whites (6.5%) to have had sexual intercourse before age 13
• 14.4% of high school students have had sexual intercourse with four or more people during their life
• Blacks (30.7%) and Hispanic/Latinos (25.8%) are more likely than whites (12.4%) to have had sexual intercourse with four or more partners during their lifetime
• 36.5% of high school students have had sexual intercourse with one or more people during the past three months
• Among high school students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, 19.0% drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse
• Among high school students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, 59.0% used a condom during last sexual intercourse
• Among high school students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, 20.5% used birth control pills to prevent pregnancy before last sexual intercourse
• 86.8% of high school students have ever been taught in school about AIDS or HIV infection
• Whites (88.3%) are more likely than blacks (76.6%) and Hispanic/Latinos to have been taught in school about HIV/AIDS
• 14.9% of high school students have ever been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend during the past 12 months
• Hispanic/Latinos (31.7%) are more likely than blacks (10.7%) and whites (14.8%) to have been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend during the past 12 months
• 10.9% of high school students have ever been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to.