LOUISVILLE, Ky. — State officials heard the results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey on Sept. 26, and the Kentucky Department of Education deputy commissioner called the data "sobering."
“Some of the data is discouraging and a bit sobering, but this is the real information that all stakeholders should be watching carefully,” Deputy Commissioner Thomas Tucker said.
KDE Health Program Administrator Stephanie Bunge provided the survey results from 2021 and 2023, and it covered topics like bullying, vaping and mental health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the data collection, and has collected data on Kentucky students since 1997. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey monitors health-risk behaviors among young people like tobacco use, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors, unhealthy dietary behaviors, physical activity and "behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence."
Bunge said the change in the testing period in 2021 due to COVID-19 would play a part in some of the data collected from 2021 to 2023.
While the report shows there was a 7% increase in bullying on school property from 2021 to 2023, it specifically looked at bullying that occurred within the last 12 months. Bunge noted students were not in the buildings as much in 2021 either.
Bullying among high school students increased from 16% to 22% in that same time frame according to the report. High school students who felt they were treated unfairly based on their race or ethnicity was almost 31%.
About 14% of high school students experienced sexual dating violence the report showed.
Just over 40% of high school students surveyed in 2023 said they used electronic vape products daily.
Questions about eating disorders were also added to the survey; the report showed 42% of respondents used diet pills, laxatives, vomiting or smoking to help them lose or maintain their weight. Of those answers, 56% were girls, and 28% were boys.
The report showed binge eating as the most common eating disorder.
“Eating disorders are very much tied to mental health as well,” Bunge said.
The report showed there was a 5% increase of high school students who missed one or more school day due to mental health, and students who reported their mental health was "not good" most of the time or always went up from 21.9% in 2021 to 25.4% in 2023.
Just over 1,920 students in 48 public high schools and about 1,480 students in 37 public middle schools responded to the 2023 survey officials said.
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