Springfield Youth Health Survey Initiative
About the Initiative
Since 2014, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, in collaboration with a planning team, has led efforts to administer the Springfield Youth Health Survey (SYHS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (SYRBS) among 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade students in Springfield Public Schools.
In Springfield, the SYHS and SYRBS are administered in alternating years with the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey (PNAS), an effort historically 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 well-being of our young people.
Below is a list of information you will find on this page. Either scroll through the page or click one of the links below.
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.
Each year, the SYHSI Planning Team reviews and modifies the questionnaires to reflect local interests and concerns.
For copies of the questionnaires that were used, click here.
Using Data for Action
Watch Kathleen Szegda, Director of Community Research and Evaluation, and Mabeline Velez, our former intern and research assistant discuss the importance of data. In this video, Kathleen offers an example of how youth health survey data was used to make changes in Springfield Public Schools. Learn more about actions taken to address youth mental health in our 2021 report.
Designed for the Springfield Department of Health and Human Services' Public Health Month Kick-Off Event, this poster showcases how community partners have leveraged local youth survey data to drive positive change in Springfield, from shaping educational curricula to successfully applying for grants.
KEY DATA AND REPORTS
2024
- Data Visualizations of Findings from 2024 Springfield Youth Health Survey
- 2024 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses To All Questions
- 2024 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
2023
- Mental Health Inequities among Eighth Grade Students in Springfield, MA: Findings from the 2023 Springfield Youth Health Survey
- 2023 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2023 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
2021
- 2021 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2021 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
2019
- Interactive Youth Health Data Portal: We created a user-friendly website, the Interactive Youth Health Data Portal, that allows users to visualize 2015, 2017, and 2019 Springfield Youth Health Survey data in graphs and explore responses to questions by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Graphs can even be downloaded as images.
- Mental Health Inequities Among Springfield Eighth-Grade Students: Findings from the 2019 Youth Health Survey (2021)
- Springfield Teen Health: Moving from Data to Action (recording from 10/16/2020 webinar)
- 2019 Youth Health Survey of Springfield Eighth-Grade Students: Summary of Select Findings
- 2019 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2019 Survey of Springfield 8th Grade Students- Slide Deck
- 2019 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Responses to All Questions
- 2019 Survey of Springfield 10th and 12th Grade Students- Slide Deck
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
PLANNING TEAM
The Youth Health Survey Initiative planning team for the 2024-25 school year includes representatives from the following organizations:
- Gándara Center
- Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts
- Springfield Department of Health and Human Services
- Springfield Public Schools
- Springfield Youth Mental Health Coalition (including youth from Beat the Odds)
- Massachusetts Gaming Commission
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!
The 2024-25 Springfield Youth Health Surveys were administered with support from Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
Additional Past Funders
- Baystate Health
- Beveridge Family Foundation
- City of Springfield, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds
- Springfield Health and Human Services
- Shriners Hospitals for Children - Springfield
- The Richard and Barbara Whitcomb Foundation
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.
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report 2009-2019
