DC YRBS Advisory Board Meeting October 17th

The DC Public Schools Youth Risk Behavior Survey Advisory Committee will be meeting on October 17th . The Committee meets 1:00 to 3:00 PM in Room 9126 at 825 North Capitol Street, NE. This Advisory Board provides input on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

The YRBS is a survey of high school and middle school students conducted every two years, which collects valuable information about health-risk behaviors among youth including those that would put young people at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.

The next Youth Risk Behavior Survey will be conducted in Spring 2007. So this is an important opportunity to give input to what data is collected. If we fail to ask the right questions, we will not get the full picture of what is happening with DC Youth and their risk behaviors for HIV/AIDS. For example, we do not currently ask a question about sexual orientation on the survey, so our understanding of young gay men and their risk for HIV in the district is incomplete.

I will be at this meeting and I hope you'll join me. If you have any questions about the meeting, please contact the DC Public Schools HIV-AIDS Education Program at at (202) 442-7860.