2007 YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY DATA: DURHAM COUNTY AND COMPARISON LOCATIONS Youth Violence

Durham County YRBS YRBS Background Durham County specifics YRBS limitations YRBS benefits Middle School Risks High School Risks Summary

Durham County YRBS: Background National school-based survey Developed by CDC Administered every other year Monitors health risk behaviors affecting the adolescent population  Behaviors contributing to unintentional and intentional injuries  Substance use  Sexual behaviors  Dietary habits, physical activity

Durham County YRBS: County Specific 2007: first year YRBS administered in Durham County 876 students participated  484 middle school respondents (6 th,7 th,8 th grades)  392 high school students (9 th, 10 th, 11 th, 12 th grades) (Note: convenience sampling was used in high schools - 85% were 9 th graders) Participation was voluntary for all  Administered during one school day  Alternate activities provided for students who did not participate

Durham County YRBS: Limitations First year: no comparison for trending of risk behaviors Data are self-reported, not from direct observation  Potential for under-or over-reporting of behaviors Data do not reflect entirety of adolescent youth sub- population (i.e. students in private schools, alternative education programs, and drop-outs) Survey does not address how or why students engage in risky behaviors ( only who, what, where, when)

Durham County YRBS: Benefits Survey is standardized We now have county-level baseline data for risky behavior engagement and exposure for adolescents.  Data can be compared to regional, state, and national data. Data are useful for:  Creating awareness about youth violence  Informing program/ intervention planning to address or reduce risky behaviors Re-assessment in the future will allow for trending changes in risky behaviors, evaluation of interventions.

DATA PRESENTATION TERMINOLOGY YRBS

Durham County YRBS: Data Presentation Data for the Durham YRBS are reported in frequency (raw number) and percent of students with similar categorized responses (used as average response rate for comparison) Types of responses:  Yes/no  Categorization of attitudes or beliefs (strongly agree/ agree/unsure/disagree/ strongly disagree)  Numerical (i.e., number of times participated in “x” behavior 0,1,2…)  Demographic categories Data are presented for three sub-populations : Durham County, State of NC, Central Region of NC Data for Middle School reported separately from High School NOTE: For the purposes of the following data presentation, samples are not separated by race, gender, or specific grade.

Durham County YRBS: Data Presentation Percent Variance The relationship between the Durham student sample response and that from each of the comparison sites (regional or state) is presented in the measure “percent variance”. Using this measure, we are trying to determine the similarity (or difference) between the Durham County (DC) student response for YRBS question and that of the state and regional comparison group.  A larger value for % variance indicates less similarity.  A smaller value for % variance indicates more similarity.  A % variance of less that 10% means no significant difference between the DC and comparison sample response.

Durham County YRBS: Data Presentation Percent Variance NC/Regional response DC response: lower % variance DC response: Medium % variance Durham response: High % variance

Durham County YRBS: Data Presentation Percent Variance What does this all mean?  With a higher value for percent variance for any YRBS question, there is “something different” about the sample of Durham County students that they are participating in or are exposed to risky behaviors with a greater (or lesser) occurrence than the whole of students in the comparison group(s). We do not know what that “something different” is necessarily, we just know that it is a factor in the DC students’ lives.  Examples highlighted in following slides

Durham County YRBS: Data Presentation Chart Overview Data are presented in charts, each with the following components:  A paraphrased version of the YRBS question  Average response from each sample of students, measured as a percent. Samples are labeled: Durham County, State (NC), Regional (Central Region of NC). Highest value for average bolded  Percent Variance comparing Durham County sample average with each comparison sample (State or Regional) Significant variance measures, with Durham County students being at a higher risk for a violent occurrence are in bold. Variance measures that are negative (Durham County students have a lesser risk than a comparison) are in parentheses.

NUMBERS OF STUDENT PARTICIPANTS DURHAM COUNTY:484 CENTRAL REGION:993 STATE:3256 Data from Middle School Students

Durham County YRBS: Middle School Violence-Related Behaviors QuestionDurha m (%) NC (%) Region (%) Durham- NC (%variance) Durham - Region (%variance) 13. Required medical treatment for an injury sustained in a fight %67.2% 15. Had something stolen/ damaged on school property in past 12 months %18.9% 11. Threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in past 12 months % (4.5%) 14. Did not go to school 1+ days because student did not feel safe there or traveling % (1.6%) 12. Has ever been in a physical fight %(1.2%) 10. Has ever carried a weapon such as a gun, knife or club (22.8%)(16.8%)

Durham County YRBS: Middle School Violence –related behaviors Risks more prevalent reported by Durham County students as compared to both state and regional data:  More likely to require medical treatment for injury sustained in fight  More likely to have something stolen/damaged on school pr0perty Risks more prevalent reported by DC Students as compared to state only:  More likely to be threatened or injured on school property in past 12 months

Durham County YRBS: Middle School Violence –related behaviors Risks less prevalent as reported by Durham County Students as compared to both state as regional data:  Less likely to have carried a weapons such as a gun, knife, or club

NUMBER OF STUDENT PARTICIPANTS DURHAM COUNTY:392 CENTRAL REGION:1260 STATE: 3500 Data from High School Students

Durham County YRBS: High School Violence-Related Behaviors (1) QuestionDurham (%) NC (%) Region (%) Durham- NC (%variance) Durham- Region ( % variance) 22. Was in a physical fight school property in past 12 mo %143.8% 2 1. Required medical treatment for an injury sustained in a fight in past 12 months %127.8% 18. Threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in past 12 months %98.4% 17. Did not go to school 1+ days because student did not feel safe there or traveling to and from %61.2% 20. Was in a physical fight during past 12 months %54.8%

Durham County YRBS: High School Violence-Related Behaviors (2) QuestionDurham (%) NC (%) Region (%) Durham- NC (%variance) Durham- Region (% variance) 24. Victim of forced sexual intercourse %23.3% 15. Carried a weapon 1+ days in past 30 days %24.5% 19. Had something stolen/damaged on school property in past 12 mo %9.7% 16. Carried a weapon on school property 1+ days in past 30 days % 15.9% 23. Victim of physical abuse by boyfriend or girlfriend in past 12 mo % 13.9%

Durham County YRBS: High School Violence –related behaviors Durham County High School students reported a greater incidence of participation in or exposure to numerous violent risk behaviors including:  Physical fighting both on and off school property  Most significant difference is fighting on school property  Severity of fights- measured as respondent requiring medical attention for fight-related injuries  Being threatened or injured with a weapon  Being fearful of safety at or in transit to school  Carrying weapons

Durham County YRBS: Middle School and High School Bullying–related behavior  28.8% of middle school and 30.1% of high school students reported having been harassed or bullied 1+ times on scho0l property in last year.  51.6% of middle school students and 45.9% of high school students indicate they believe harassment/bullying is a problem in schools.  These numbers do not vary significantly from estimates from either state or central subpopulations.

SUMMARY Durham County YRBS

Durham County YRBS: Summary Durham County versus NC and Regional  Durham County high school students reported significantly greater rates of exposure to many violent behaviors than students in the state and regional comparison populations.  Durham County students are at a higher risk of being victimized, or engaging in victimizing actions than students in the broader comparison populations. Some examples:  Involvement in physical fights  Injuries from fight requiring medical attention  Carrying weapons,  Victimization in schools: damaged property, threatened with weapon, bullying, fearful of safety in school, sexual assault

Durham County YRBS: Summary Middle School versus High School  Comparing the Durham middle school and high school samples  The reported incidence of exposure risky violence-related behaviors increases with the high school sample  the % variance of the Durham County sample response from the comparison samples (NC and central NC) increases with the high school sample.  Our middle school students are more similar to the comparison groups for many of the violence indicators.

Durham County YRBS: Summary  The sample of students from Durham County report higher exposures to many violence-related behaviors, as compared to the comparison groups of NC and Central Region  These data support anecdotal reports of the pervasiveness of youth-violence in Durham County, and corroborate data collected in other arenas on exposure of the Durham County student population to violence-related activities.  We still are without an understanding of why Durham County students are reporting such higher rates of exposure to violence and violent behaviors.

Durham County YRBS: Summary Next Steps Find out the why?  Closer analysis of the data may offer some information  Population profiles, socioeconomic status, comparison with the violent crime indicators for all of Durham County and comparison sites.  Middle School students seem to not have as high of an exposure to violent crime, nor as great of a deviation in exposure from the two comparison populations as do the Durham County High School sample population.  What is happening in the interim contributing to the dramatic increase in violence-related behaviors exposures as the student move to high school?  How do the contributing factors differ among the Durham County student population an the regional and/or state comparison groups?

YRBS: Resources Durham County YRBS report:  North Carolina and Central Region Data and Reports 