Tuesday, March 18, 2025
3/18/2025
The purpose of this Component 3: School-Based Surveillance project is to institutionalize, establish and strengthen systematic procedures to collect and report Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and School Health Profiles (Profiles) data for policy and program improvements with 5-year project period outcomes to obtain weighted YRBS (2025, 2027, and 2029) and Profiles (2026 and 2028) data. Rhode Island strongly believes that responsive and supportive systems must be in place to help improve the well-being of students and to create safe, healthy, and nurturing school environments in which students can achieve to their highest academic potential. Data on youth health risk behaviors is the foundation of this work per the Essential Public Health Services, Healthy People 2030 objectives and the RIDE strategic plan, Together Through Opportunity: Pathways to Student Success, Rhode Island's Strategic Plan for PK-12 Education 2021-2027. The RI Department of Education (RIDE) Commissioner and the RI Department of Health (RIDOH), Director are committed to continue to work to build infrastructure supports with state, school, and community partners to help create safe, healthy, and nurturing schools that reduce barriers to learning. Since the implementation of the RI 1995 YRBS and 2000 Profiles, significant outcomes have been achieved toward the goal of integrating school health policies and programs in RI. As partners in school health, RIDE and RIDOH realize that health and education are intrinsically connected and have a significant impact on the CDC priority health areas. The RIDE and RIDOH organizational structure and capacity will support the Component 3: School-Based Surveillance project to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on adolescent health risk behaviors using YRBS and on school and sexual health policies and practices using Profiles. This will continue throughout the next five years, and data will be used to determine direction in state and local policy and program development as well as professional development needs in HIV/AIDS/STDs, sexuality, physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, management of chronic health conditions and other adolescent health risk areas. The RIDE, in partnership with RIDOH, YRBS and Profiles initiative have created a sustainable and institutionalized infrastructure at state and local levels. The proposed Component 3: School-Based Surveillance work plan includes 5-year goals, SMART objectives, and activities addressing each objective and the primary person/agency responsible for accomplishing activities. The RI YRBS and Profiles implementation will be conducted according to an established schedule, questionnaires with review and modification, sampling procedures, and preparation of data for analysis, reporting, and dissemination and promotion following the Handbook for Conducting Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and the Handbook for Conducting School Health Profiles. RI will implement the 2025/2027/2029 YRBS with continued inclusion of the 7 sexual behavior questions, 2 sexual minority questions and 1 gender identity question and the 2024/2026 Profiles census survey. The use of weighted data will be instrumental in the development and improvement of programs and state and local policies for youth and identify health disparities. The funding amount requested by RIDE is $100,000.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).