INDIANA TEENS CUT BACK ON TV, CIGARETTES

Indiana has seen some positive changes in the habits of young people
in recent years, but other data show youth are engaging in behaviors
that could result in injury or illness, according to the 2007 Youth
Risk Behavior Survey.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey monitors health risks and behaviors
among Indiana youth in grades 9 through 12 in six categories: alcohol
and other drug use, nutrition and weight, physical activity, sexual
behavior, tobacco use, and violence and injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention these
health risks and behaviors are related to the leading causes of death
and illness among both youth and adults.

Highlights from the 2007 YRBS data include:

13.8 percent of students were overweight in 2007, compared to 15
percent in 2005;

18.2 percent of students reported eating fruits and vegetables five
or more times per day each week in the 2007 survey, compared to 15.5
percent in 2005;

There was an increase in the percentage of students who were
physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day on five
or more days of the week from 32.2 percent in 2005 to 43.7 percent in 2007;

The percentage of students who watched three or more hours per day of
TV on an average school day decreased from 32.9 percent in 2003 to
28.7 percent in 2007;

The number of young people smoking cigarettes decreased, with 53.3
percent of students reporting ever trying cigarette smoking in 2007,
compared to 60.4 percent in 2003;

Students using marijuana also decreased, with 37.8 percent reporting
in 2007 they used marijuana one or more times during their life, down
from 43.4 percent in 2003;

9.1 percent of students carried a gun on one or more of the past 30
days, compared to 5.7 percent in 2003 and 5.8 percent in 2005; and

26.4 percent of students rode one or more times during the past 30
days in a vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking, which
statistically shows little change from 24.6 percent in 2005.

The Indiana State Department of Health administered the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey last spring in high schools across the state.
Forty-four high schools and 2,331 students participated.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is a national survey effort led by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor students'
health risks and behaviors. This is the third year weighted data has
been available for Indiana, which means that the response rates for
the survey were high enough to allow the data collected to be
generalized for all Indiana high school students. Weighted data was
available for the first time in 2003, allowing the state to have
trend data this year.

Results from the 2007 Indiana Youth Risk Behavior Survey can be
viewed on the Indiana State Department of Health's Web site at www.in.gov/yrbs.