Since
2000, the Galveston County Youth Risk Survey has periodically been published to characterize behavioral risks posed to our children. The report is compiled from results of a survey which was administered to students attending Ball High School based primarily upon the instrument developed by the Centers for Disease Control for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Since 2020, students from Dickinson High School have also participated in the survey.
In general, the survey includes such topics as:
- Demographic Characteristics of High School Respondents
- Family Characteristics and Educational Levels Achieved by Parents
- Risks Associated with Students’ Driving Behaviors
- Mental Health
- Personal Safety
- Exposure to Violence and Bullying
- Substance Use
- Sexual Behaviors
- Weight and Body Image
- Daily Activities
Results are reported in several contexts, including comparisons by gender, grade, and ethnicity of the proportion of student respondents currently engaging in behaviors or sustaining exposures that may put them at risk, as well as comparisons with
state and national statistics for the same indicators during the same time period. We also report risk trends over the years during which the Galveston survey was repeated (2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2024), to assess progress
toward facilitating healthy outcomes for our children.
Access the 2024 Galveston County Youth Risk Survey Report here.
Purpose and Future Actions
The reported indicators in any of these reports obviously do not completely define the condition of our city’s children. The purpose of this report is not to explain or offer reasons for children’s behavior, but rather, to characterize sources
of risk that must be assessed and then interpreted by community leaders who can best prioritize the issues and then develop, implement, and evaluate interventions.
The Road Ahead
Since 2012, we have proposed several approaches through “The Road Ahead” to organize efforts to address the needs and areas of concern that emerge from the Galveston Youth Risk Survey report. Most of these approaches focus on bidirectional communication between community organizations, key stakeholders, and UTMB to best leverage resources available and streamline our efforts. Many times, this is done through the Research, Education, and Community Health (REACH) Coalition, made up of 23 UTMB Centers and Institutes and 39 community organizations, with a mission to facilitate research, service and educational efforts through increased communication and collaboration between community leaders and UTMB faculty and staff. In response to the Galveston Youth Risk Survey report, we typically recommend one or more workgroups convene through REACH, with the addition of other relevant stakeholders, to address the pressing needs that are revealed through the report.
Not surprisingly, the 2024 data revealed trends suggesting COVID-19 played a large role in our youth’s risky behaviors, mental health, environment, and health in general. Driving risks, for example, were lowest in 2020 and we see similar trends in substance use. The 2024 report seems to show a “rebound” effect of teens returning to their pre-pandemic activities. This reinforces the idea that data collection truly needs to be continuous and comprehensive for us to be responsive to the ever-changing environment and current need. While the data contained in this report is undoubtably valuable, needed, and actionable, we believe it should only be a part of a larger comprehensive health needs assessment.
Our suggestion from this report is to form a diverse workgroup through REACH to organize and adopt a comprehensive community health needs assessment that 1) accumulates existing, readily available data for shared use (examples include information from the Center for Health Care Data at the UT School of Public Health, the Texas Department of State Health Services Center for Health Statistics, and Epic Cosmos, a data aggregation tool used by UTMB and other health systems to improve patient care); 2) utilizes data collected throughout the community (such as from non-profits, municipal and county agencies, and law enforcement); and 3) applies qualitative data from focus groups and/or key informant interviews, so we can hear directly from community members about what their needs are. By doing so, we hope all can benefit from having access to current and relevant data to drive our programs, education, and funding.
Prior reports
2021 Galveston County Youth Risk Survey Report
2017 Galveston County Youth Risk Survey Report