Improving NH Youth Health and Well-Being through School-Based Surveillance - New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services within the Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) seeks $100,000 in Component 3 school-based surveillance funding and $7,500 as a Tier 1 jurisdiction for the addition of 8 traditional ACEs questions to continue its efforts to survey students, principals, and health education teachers through the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in every odd-numbered year, and the School Health Profiles (Profiles) in every even-numbered year. New Hampshire has participated in YRBS since 1993. In the previous grant cycle, NH Department of Education (NHED) was awarded and administered Profiles and contracted with NH DHHS for YRBS. This will be the first year for NH DHHS to administer both YRBS and Profiles surveys. Data generated by these efforts inform programs, schools, and communities that address health risk behaviors in New Hampshire youth, including substance use and sexual risk behaviors, experiences of violence, and improvements in mental health, and help determine strategic planning and program effectiveness over time. The purpose of conducting the YRBS survey is to collect, analyze, and report current data regarding these health risk behaviors, to compare trends in New Hampshire with those in other states, and to disseminate that information to inform decisions regarding youth health programs and priorities to enhance adolescent well-being and health. The purpose of conducting the Profiles survey is to collect and report data on school health policies and practices, to use that data to compare local practices with the state data, and to inform local program, practice, and policy decisions intended to support student health and provide needed services. The YRBS data is widely used by programs and communities in New Hampshire, including Regional Public Health Networks, Drug Free Communities Coalitions, Governor’s Commission Drug and Alcohol Task Force, State Opioid Response, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness NH, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Foundation for Healthy Communities, NH Children’s Trust, School District Administration, Getting to Y, NH Division of Public Health, NH Division for Behavioral Health, NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, NH Family Resource Centers, NH Teen Institute, and Boys and Girls Clubs of New Hampshire. The Profiles data provides information in gaps in policies and practices that can impact student health and academic performance. The data is used by schools, school districts, NH Department of Education and NH DHHS programs to support discussions and decisions to monitor the policies and practices changes over time. Both the YRBS and Profiles surveys generate important, useful data, and this project has strong support from the NH DHHS, the NHED, and many other New Hampshire stakeholders. The project staff has expertise in data collection and management and experience conducting the YRBS and School Health Profiles Surveys administration process.
