The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) has released the 2018 School Health Profiles (Profiles) results. The School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a system of surveys assessing school health policies and practices in states, large urban school districts, and territories. Profiles surveys are conducted biennially by education and health agencies among middle and high school principals and lead health education teachers.
The latest data indicate that health education programs are expanding to include information on suicide and violence prevention, but the number of schools teaching HIV prevention topics has declined over the past decade. Across states, a median of only 18% of schools taught all 20 specific topics recommended for comprehensive sexual health education in middle school and a median of 43% taught all of these topics in high school. In addition, the results highlight that more schools are implementing policies and practices to establish safe and supportive environments for all students, and in particular, LGBTQ youth.
The release includes:
- a comprehensive report that includes results from surveys conducted in: 39 states; 21 large urban school districts; and two territories
- a fact sheet describing Profiles and highlighting key 2018results
- a PowerPoint presentation that presents state results on a U.S. map
- all questionnaires and item rationales
- information on how to obtain Profiles datasets
For more information about School Health Profiles, visit here.
