9: Brainstorm Ways to Maximize Secondary School Student Participation in Youth Risky Behavior Surveys In the Current Environment

The relevance statement may change. However, as the contact person for my federal funds stated, we carry on until told otherwise. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey covers health-related behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth. We were fortunate to go from opt-in to opt-out student participation. There was a 31% increase in participation in 2015 after this change. The rate remained in the upper 70% through 2019, but dropped substantially since to the mide 60% for the 2025 administration. More parents/guardians are opting their children out of the survey for various reasons. Questions about race/ethnicity and gender identity are included. The gender identity question was removed from the national survey, and likewise for several states. Our survey committee felt it important to maintain the item because the data are actively used. Brainstorm how to increase participation to continue to collect important data.