This page provides data on youth health-risk behaviors in Louisiana. The data can be used by educators, lawmakers, doctors, community organizations, and local health agencies to guide efforts to reduce unhealthy or risky behaviors and improve student outcomes.
Louisiana Youth Risk Behavior Survey
The Louisiana Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is sponsored every other year by Well-Ahead, the Louisiana Public Health Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is also supported by many partners across the state who work to achieve positive outcomes for all youth in Louisiana. The YRBS allows students to anonymously share their voices and provides essential insights to improve student outcomes and understand youth health trends. YRBS results are critical for assessing the effectiveness of prevention and education programs, ensuring accountability, and understanding how the health of children and adolescents in Louisiana compares to youth health nationwide. The data can be used to inform school and community programs, communications campaigns, and other efforts.
The Louisiana YRBS is a component of the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), developed in 1990. In addition to state surveys, the surveillance system includes a national survey conducted by CDC that includes high school students from private and public schools within the U.S.
The YRBS monitors priority health risk behaviors and conditions that contribute to the leading causes of death, disease, injury and social problems among youth. These behaviors and experiences include:
Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence
Physical activity
Diet
Mental health
Tobacco use
Alcohol and other drug use
The survey is part of a larger effort to help communities increase the resiliency of young people by reducing high risk behaviors and promoting healthy behaviors.
Reports
2023 YRBS Graphs: This PowerPoint contains graphs and trendlines describing 2023 YRBS survey results and whether the prevalence of a behavior has increased, decreased, or stayed the same over time.
2023 YRBS Survey Summary: This document briefly describes the 2023 YRBS student sample, response rate, survey design, confidentiality, and categories of questions.
