Risk behaviors among New Orleans adolescents, 1997-2007

Adolescents living in New Orleans have been subjected to multiple stressors over the last three years. Hurricane Katrina disrupted all New Orleans residents' lives, particularly those of the most vulnerable. The impact of the flood extended far beyond the physical damage to the city, creating multiple life transitions for adolescents already confronting major life changes. The hurricane forced the dissolution of a previously under-performaing school system, caused some youth to return to the city without their parents, and resulted in increased levels of crime and violence throughout the city.

New Orleans conducted the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in the years 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. The 2007 YRBS is the first dataset to measure multiple risk behaviors among New Orleans high school students since Hurricane Katrina. The data show that New Orleans youth are increasing their risk for multiple negative health outcomes by using alcohol and tobacco and failing to meet recommendations for physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption. The multi-year data show that increases in risk behaviors began just before the hurricane, but have continued to worsen with the added stressors of the post-Katrina environment.

The presentation will describe trends in risk behaviors among New Orleans high school students over time, including pre- and post-Katrina data. The presenter will also discuss challenges to implementing a school-based survey in a decentralized and rapidly changing school system. The 2007 YRBS was completed with an overall response rate of 93%: methods for achieving this will also be presented.