The Public Health Institute of Western MA led efforts to conduct the Youth Health Survey (YHS) and Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) with 8th, 10th, and 12th graders enrolled in Springfield Public Schools in 2015, 2017, and 2019.
The YHS and YRBS are administered in alternating years with the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey (PNAS), an effort led by the Gandara Center's Stop Access Drug Free Communities Coalition.
We hope that this data will contribute to a dialogue among school staff, community-based organizations, health care providers, and the students themselves about strategies to promote the health and wellbeing of our young people.
Planning Team
The 2019 Youth Health Survey Initiative planning team included representatives from the following organizations:
- Gándara Center
- Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services (including high school-age youth from the Peer Health Advocate program)
- Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts
- Springfield Department of Health and Human Services
- Springfield Public Schools
- Other Experts - Elaine Puleo, PhD (formerly University of Massachusetts, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology)
The planning team is involved with planning, implementing, and disseminating results from the springfield youth health surveys.
Our Funders
Thank you for the generous support from our funders!
2019 Funders
Additional Past Funders
About the Surveys
The Springfield Youth Health Survey (YHS) is administered to 8th grade students enrolled at Springfield Public Schools. It is a modified version of the survey used by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The survey contains questions about diet, exercise, screen time, mental health, bullying, violence, health, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs, and more.
The Springfield Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is administered to 10th and 12th grade students enrolled at Springfield Public Schools. The instrument used in Springfield is a modified version of the survey created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used statewide by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The survey content is similar to the YHS, and it contains questions about safety, violence-related behaviors, bullying, self-harm, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs, communication and education about sexuality and sexual health services, and more.
For copies of the questionnaires that were used, click here.
key data and reports
2019
- report coming soon
- 2019 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2019 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
2017
- Mental Health Inequities in Springfield Youth (2018)
- 2017 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2017 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
2015
- Youth Health in Springfield, MA: Highlights from the 2015 Youth Health Survey of Eighth Graders
- 2015 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2015 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
Interactive Youth Health Data Portal
PHIWM created a user-friendly website, the Interactive Youth Health Data Portal, that allows users to visualize 2015 and 2017 Springfield Youth Health Survey data in graphs and explore responses to questions by gender or race/ethnicity. Graphs can even be downloaded as images.
If you notice any errors or issues with the data portal, please e-mail us.
Related Resources
- MDPH Health Survey Program - This website contains information about MDPH's surveillance project to assess the health of youth.
- Youth Online- This CDC application allows users to access national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data.
