DASH Fact Sheet

DA SH
OUR MISSION

CDC, through

its Division of Adolescent and

How CDC Prepares Healthy Youth
for Successful Futures
HOW HEALTHY ARE
TODAY’S ADOLESCENTS?

School Health, works to promote

Sexual risk behaviors are declining.

environments where youth can gain

Risk behaviors have improved steadily over the years. From 2007
to 2017, CDC data show declines in sexual risk behaviors among
students. Significantly fewer high school students have ever had sex,
and fewer have had sex with four or more people.

fundamental health knowledge and
skills, establish healthy behaviors for
a lifetime, connect to health services,
and avoid becoming pregnant or
infected with HIV or STDs.

The adolescent years are an ideal
time to develop healthy behaviors.
As a nation, we have a collective
responsibility to equip young
people with the information and
skills they need to be healthy
throughout their lifetime. Though
youth today are healthy overall,
there is still work to do to address
disparities in student health.
CDC is a leader in developing and
promoting data-driven ways to
make youth safer and healthier. We
are committed to preventing HIV,
STDs, and pregnancy among all
youth. Taking a school-based health
promotion and disease prevention
approach, we build strategic
partnerships with public health and
education agencies and national
organizations to prepare healthy
youth for successful futures.

Health risks remain.
Still, the prevalence of some health behaviors remains high and
puts youth at risk. We have seen decreases in condom use among
students. CDC data indicate that risk behaviors co-occur resulting
in students having experienced multiple risks for HIV, STDs, and
pregnancy.

Health disparities require focus.
Despite improvements, some adolescents remain at a higher risk
for negative health outcomes. Tailored approaches are needed to
reach youth at highest risk earlier, before they adopt multiple risk
behaviors. For example, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students
experience substantially higher levels of physical and sexual violence
and bullying than other students.

FAST FACTS About Youth
30% of students
currently drink
alcohol—down
from 43%
in 2005

56 million

U.S. students
attend public or
private school

40% of high school students have

ever had sex—down from 48% in 2007

46%

More than
of sexually active
high school students
did not use a
condom the last
time they had sex

Half of all new
STDs reported
each year are
among young
people aged
15 to 24

Sources: National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017, and HIV Surveillance Report, 2016

Nearly

1 in 7
U.S.
students
reported
misusing
prescription
opioids

HOW DOES CDC PROTECT THE
NATION’S YOUTH?
We collect data that drive action.
•

CDC’s three school-based surveillance systems provide stateand district-level educators with information they can translate
into programs, policies, and practices that reduce health costs
and improve students’ lives.

We translate science into innovative programs
and tools that work to protect youth.
•

CDC’s evaluation research identifies the most effective
programs and practices to help reduce adolescent sexual
risk behaviors.

•

CDC experts study sexual risk behaviors and protective
factors in youth. We know that enhancing protective factors—
such as parent engagement and school connectedness—can
help adolescents avoid behaviors that put them at risk for poor
health and educational outcomes.

•

Our national leadership sets a research agenda that applies
to the broader field of adolescent sexual health and fills in
important knowledge gaps.

•

Using research findings, we identify the next generation of
effective practices for school health programs and create
evidence-based tools and resources to help state and local
education agencies and youth-serving organizations implement
the latest, most effective strategies available.

We support a network of leaders in primary
prevention.
•

•

CDC engages an established network of leaders in
school-based HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention.
Between 2013 and 2018, funding to education agencies
reached nearly 2 million students. These funded partners:
•

Deliver HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention programs
grounded in the latest research

•

Select and implement effective health education curricula
that best fit local needs

•

Build local capacity to connect students to school-based
and community health services

•

Establish safe environments where students feel connected
to school and supportive adults

•

Address the unique needs of sexual and gender minority
youth, who not only have higher rates of HIV and STDs,
but also are more likely to experience bullying, violence,
substance use, and other challenges.

We also fund national organizations to help education
agencies with training, technical assistance, and resource
development to increase the impact of local programs.

• Since 1991, the Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System (YRBSS) has
collected national, state, and city
survey data from nearly 4 million
high school students. YRBSS is the
only surveillance system of its kind in
the United States.
• Our School Health Profiles surveys
and School Health Policies and
Practices Study provide data about
health policies and practices in
U.S. schools at the state, local, and
national levels.

FAST FACTS: LGB Youth
While many LGB youth thrive during
adolescence, stigma, discrimination, and
other factors may put them at increased risk
for negative health and life outcomes.

16%

experience sexual
dating violence

one third

About
are
bullied at school or online

more

They are
likely to
have been tested for HIV
(14% LGB students vs.
9% heterosexual students)

twice

They are nearly
as likely as other students
to use illegal drugs

47%

More than
have
seriously considered suicide
Source: National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017

Together with our partners, we can
support youth to achieve their social,
emotional, and academic potential.
www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth
@CDC_DASH
Updated July 2018