Youth Online: High School YRBS - New Jersey 2021 Results | DASH

**New Jersey, High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2021**
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Sex Question	Total	Female	Male
Unintentional Injuries and Violence
Did not always wear a seat belt (when riding in a car driven by someone else)	44.8 (40.9–48.8) 692^†	46.6 (40.5–52.9) 373	42.6 (35.2–50.4) 313
Rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (in a car or other vehicle, one or more times during the 30 days before the survey)	12.2 (9.2–16.1) 694	11.7 (7.9–16.8) 375	12.1 (8.0–17.9) 313
Drove when they had been drinking alcohol (in a car or other vehicle, one or more times during the 30 days before the survey, students who had driven a car or other vehicle during the 30 days before the survey)	1.8 (0.7–4.5) 283	0.9 (0.1–5.5) 145	2.9 (1.0–8.0) 137
Texted or e-mailed while driving a car or other vehicle (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey, among students who had driven a car or other vehicle during the 30 days before the survey)	30.6 (21.6–41.4) 283	32.8 (23.6–43.5) 146	28.9 (17.2–44.3) 136
Carried a weapon on school property (such as a gun, knife, or club, on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Carried a gun (not counting the days when they carried a gun only for hunting or for a sport such as target shooting, on at least 1 day during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (such as a gun, knife, or club, one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Were in a physical fight (one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Were in a physical fight on school property (one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Ever saw someone get physically attacked, beaten, stabbed, or shot in their neighborhood	—	—	—
Felt that they were ever treated badly or unfairly in school because of their race or ethnicity (during their life)	—	—	—
Were electronically bullied (counting being bullied through texting, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media, ever during the 12 months before the survey)	15.4 (10.8–21.4) 694	19.0 (11.9–29.2) 374	10.5 (6.9–15.7) 314
Were bullied on school property (during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Did not go to school because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	11.1 (6.7–18.0) 694	11.8 (6.4–20.9) 375	9.6 (5.4–16.5) 313
Were ever physically forced to have sexual intercourse (when they did not want to)	—	—	—
Experienced sexual violence by anyone (counting such things as kissing, touching, or being forced to have sexual intercourse that they did not want to do, one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	11.1 (8.6–14.1) 693	15.2 (11.4–20.0) 373	5.5 (3.3–9.2) 314
Experienced sexual dating violence (being forced to do sexual things (counting such things as kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have sexual intercourse) they did not want to do by someone they were dating or going out with, one or more times during the 12 months before the survey, among students who dated or went out with someone during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Experienced physical dating violence (being physically hurt on purpose (counting such things as being hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon) by someone they were dating or going out with, one or more times during the 12 months before the survey, among students who dated or went out with someone during the 12 months before the survey)	9.5 (7.5–12.0) 362	8.2 (4.2–15.6) 198	9.9 (6.5–14.7) 161
Felt sad or hopeless (almost every day for 2 or more weeks in a row so that they stopped doing some usual activities, during the 12 months before the survey)	41.5 (36.4–46.8) 692	53.0 (44.8–61.0) 374	28.1 (24.5–32.0) 312
Seriously considered attempting suicide (during the 12 months before the survey)	19.6 (16.1–23.5) 693	26.3 (19.2–34.9) 373	11.8 (8.1–17.0) 314
Made a plan about how they would attempt suicide (during the 12 months before the survey)	13.1 (10.5–16.3) 694	17.3 (11.7–24.9) 374	8.3 (4.4–15.2) 314
Actually attempted suicide (one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	9.5 (5.3–16.2) 694	10.9 (5.6–20.2) 374	7.9 (3.6–16.3) 314
Suicide attempt resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose that had to be treated by a doctor or nurse (during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Tobacco Use
Ever smoked a cigarette (even one or two puffs)	—	—	—
Smoked a cigarette before age 13 years (even one or two puffs)	4.3 (2.8–6.7) 691	3.5 (1.8–6.8) 374	4.9 (2.4–9.6) 311
Currently smoked cigarettes (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	3.7 (2.0–6.7) 692	2.8 (1.3–6.0) 374	5.0 (2.4–10.1) 312
Currently smoked cigarettes frequently (on 20 or more days during the 30 days before the survey)	0.6 (0.3–1.2) 692	0.5 (0.1–2.7) 374	0.8 (0.1–6.8) 312
Currently smoked cigarettes daily (on all 30 days during the 30 days before the survey)	0.6 (0.3–1.2) 692	0.5 (0.1–2.7) 374	0.8 (0.1–6.8) 312
Smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day (on the days they smoked during the 30 days before the survey, among students who currently smoked cigarettes)	—	—	—
Ever used electronic vapor products (including e-cigarettes, vapes, mods, e-cigs, e-hookahs, or vape pens [such as JUUL, Vuse, NJOY, Puff Bar, blu, or Bidi Stick])	36.3 (31.9–41.1) 693	40.5 (32.3–49.2) 374	31.5 (27.7–35.5) 313
Currently used electronic vapor products (including e-cigarettes, vapes, mods, e-cigs, e-hookahs, or vape pens [such as JUUL, Vuse, NJOY, Puff Bar, blu, or Bidi Stick], on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	21.6 (16.5–27.8) 663	25.7 (17.6–35.8) 356	16.4 (11.7–22.6) 301
Currently used electronic vapor products frequently (including e-cigarettes, vapes, vape pens, e-cigars, e-hookahs, hookah pens, and mods, [such as JUUL, NJOY,PuffBar, Vuse, blu or Bidi Stick], on 20 or more days during the 30 days before the survey)	6.8 (4.6–10.0) 663	7.9 (4.9–12.6) 356	4.9 (2.6–9.2) 301
Currently used electronic vapor products daily (including e-cigarettes, vapes, vape pens, e-cigars, e-hookahs, hookah pens, and mods, [such as JUUL, NJOY,PuffBar, Vuse, blu or Bidi Stick], on all 30 days during the 30 days before the survey)	4.5 (3.0–6.7) 663	5.5 (3.2–9.2) 356	2.6 (0.9–7.0) 301
Usually got their electronic vapor products by buying them themselves in a convenience store, supermarket, discount store, or gas station (chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, or dissolvable tobacco products, such as Redman, Levi Garrett, Beechnut, Skoal, Skoal Bandits, Copenhagen, Camel Snus, Marlboro Snus, General Snus, Ariva, Stonewall, or Camel Orbs, not counting any electronic vapor products, on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	31.3 (18.8–47.3) 149	28.2 (16.5–43.7) 99	34.0 (12.8–64.4) 49
Currently used smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, or dissolvable tobacco products [such as Copenhagen, Grizzly, Skoal, Camel Snus, or Velo Nicotine Lozenges], not counting any electronic vapor products, on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently used smokeless tobacco frequently (chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, or dissolvable tobacco products, [such as Copenhagen, Grizzly, Skoal, Camel Snus, or Velo Nicotine Lozenges], not counting any electronic vapor products, on 20 or more days during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently used smokeless tobacco daily (chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, or dissolvable tobacco products, [such as Copenhagen, Grizzly, Skoal, Camel Snus, or Velo Nicotine Lozenges], not counting any electronic vapor products, on all 30 days during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigars (cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars, [such as Swisher Sweets, Middleton's (including Black & Mild, or Backwoods)], on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigars frequently (cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars, [such as Swisher Sweets, Middleton's (including Black & Mild or Backwoods)], on 20 or more days during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigars daily (cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars, [such as Swisher Sweets, Middleton's (including Black & Mild or Backwoods)], on all 30 days during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigarettes or cigars (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigarettes or cigars or used smokeless tobacco (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigarettes or cigars or used smokeless tobacco or electronic vapor products (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Currently smoked cigarettes or used electronic vapor products (on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	21.9 (16.9–27.9) 661	25.7 (17.6–35.8) 356	17.0 (12.4–22.8) 299
Did not try to quit using all tobacco products (including cigarettes, electronic vapor products, smokeless tobacco, cigars, shisha or hookah tobacco, pipe tobacco, heated tobacco products, or nicotine pouches, ever during the 12 months before the survey, among students who used any tobacco products during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Alcohol and Other Drug Use
Had their first drink of alcohol before age 13 years (other than a few sips)	12.2 (10.1–14.8) 681	11.4 (6.5–19.2) 368	12.4 (8.0–18.8) 307
Currently drank alcohol (at least one drink of alcohol, on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	26.0 (18.5–35.3) 682	25.6 (18.6–34.2) 367	26.0 (17.1–37.3) 309
Currently were binge drinking (four or more drinks of alcohol in a row if they are female or five or more drinks of alcohol in a row if they are male, within a couple of hours, on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)	15.2 (10.2–22.1) 679	13.6 (8.7–20.8) 365	16.3 (10.5–24.3) 308
Usually obtained the alcohol they drank by someone giving it to them (during the 30 days before the survey, among students who currently drank alcohol)	—	—	—
Reported that the largest number of drinks they had in a row was 10 or more (within a couple of hours, during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Ever used marijuana (also called pot or weed, one or more times during their life)	29.5 (23.9–35.9) 684	32.1 (25.3–39.7) 368	26.4 (20.4–33.4) 310
Tried marijuana for the first time before age 13 years (also called pot or weed)	3.0 (1.7–5.2) 685	2.7 (1.5–4.8) 370	2.6 (0.9–7.5) 309
Currently used marijuana (also called pot or weed, one or more times during the 30 days before the survey)	17.3 (13.7–21.7) 687	19.5 (14.6–25.6) 370	14.4 (10.8–18.9) 311
Ever took prescription pain medicine without a doctor's prescription or differently than how a doctor told them to use it (counting drugs such as codeine, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, and Percocet, one or more times during their life)	—	—	—
Currently took prescription pain medicine without a doctor's prescription or differently than how a doctor told them to use it (one or more times during the 30 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Ever used cocaine (any form of cocaine, including powder, crack, or freebase, one or more times during their life)	1.1 (0.5–2.5) 693	0.3 (0.1–2.3) 374	2.0 (0.8–5.2) 313
Ever used inhalants (sniffed glue, breathed the contents of aerosol spray cans, or inhaled any paints or sprays to get high, one or more times during their life)	4.0 (2.4–6.8) 688	3.6 (1.8–7.2) 371	4.7 (2.3–9.5) 311
Ever used heroin ("also called ""smack,"" ""junk,"" or ""China White,"" one or more times during their life")	0.5 (0.1–2.6) 692	0.0 (0.0–0.0) 373	1.2 (0.3–5.5) 313
Ever used methamphetamines ("also called ""speed,"" ""crystal meth,"" ""crank,"" ""ice,"" or ""meth,"" one or more times during their life")	0.9 (0.2–3.2) 693	0.0 (0.0–0.0) 373	2.0 (0.6–6.6) 314
Ever used ecstasy ("also called ""MDMA,"" or ""Molly,"" one or more times during their life")	1.9 (0.8–4.7) 691	1.0 (0.4–2.5) 372	3.1 (1.1–8.5) 313
Ever used hallucinogenic drugs (such as LSD, acid, PCP, angel dust, mescaline, or mushrooms, one or more times during their life)	—	—	—
Ever injected any illegal drug (used a needle to inject any illegal drug into their body, one or more times during their life)	0.7 (0.1–2.9) 692	0.4 (0.1–1.9) 373	1.1 (0.2–5.8) 313
Ever used select illicit drugs (counting cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamines, ecstasy, or hallucinogens, one or more times during their life)	—	—	—
Sexual Behaviors
Ever had sexual intercourse	—	—	—
Had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 years	2.1 (1.3–3.5) 673	2.6 (1.5–4.6) 367	1.6 (0.4–5.8) 301
Had sexual intercourse with four or more persons (during their life)	4.1 (3.0–5.6) 672	3.7 (2.6–5.4) 366	4.6 (3.1–7.0) 301
Were currently sexually active (had sexual intercourse with at least one person, during the 3 months before the survey)	17.7 (13.2–23.2) 658	18.1 (12.6–25.3) 359	17.5 (11.8–25.2) 294
Did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse (among students who were currently sexually active)	48.1 (34.8–61.6) 124	60.7 (49.4–71.0) 70	31.7 (18.9–48.1) 54
Did not use birth control pills before last sexual intercourse with opposite-sex partner ("to prevent pregnancy, not counting emergency contraception such as Plan B or the ""morning after"" pill, among students who were currently sexually active")	79.9 (70.6–86.8) 117	75.1 (67.3–81.6) 64	85.7 (67.6–94.5) 53
Did not use an IUD (e.g., Mirena or ParaGard) or implant (e.g., Implanon or Nexplanon) before last sexual intercourse with an opposite-sex partner (to prevent pregnancy, among students who were currently sexually active)	99.6 (95.7–100.0) 117	99.2 (91.6–99.9) 64	100.0 (100.0–100.0) 53
Did not use birth control pills; an IUD (e.g., Mirena or ParaGard) or implant (e.g., Implanon or Nexplanon); or a shot (e.g., Depo-Provera), patch (e.g., OrthoEvra), or birth control ring (e.g., NuvaRing) before last sexual intercourse (to prevent pregnancy, among students who were currently sexually active)	78.3 (68.1–86.0) 117	72.2 (62.2–80.4) 64	85.7 (67.6–94.5) 53
Did not use any method to prevent pregnancy during last sexual intercourse with an opposite-sex partner (among students who were currently sexually active)	14.2 (7.2–26.2) 117	17.1 (7.3–35.3) 64	10.6 (3.4–28.9) 53
Drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse (among students who were currently sexually active)	—	—	—
Were never tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (not counting tests done if they donated blood)	96.2 (93.2–97.9) 689	96.0 (92.2–98.0) 372	97.1 (93.5–98.7) 311
Were not tested for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) other than HIV (such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, during the 12 months before the survey)	95.9 (94.1–97.2) 689	95.3 (91.3–97.5) 372	97.4 (93.5–99.0) 311
Dietary Behaviors
Did not eat fruit or drink 100% fruit juices (such as orange juice, apple juice, or grape juice, not counting punch, Kool-Aid, sports drinks, or other fruit-flavored drinks, during the 7 days before the survey)	8.3 (5.8–11.7) 687	7.2 (4.4–11.5) 371	10.0 (6.4–15.2) 310
Did not eat vegetables (green salad, potatoes (excluding French fries, fried potatoes, or potato chips), carrots, or other vegetables, during the 7 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Drank a can, bottle, or glass of soda or pop (such as Coke, Pepsi, or Sprite, not counting diet soda or diet pop, during the 7 days before the survey)	59.2 (52.8–65.3) 689	59.4 (51.4–67.0) 372	58.8 (51.0–66.1) 311
Drank a can, bottle, or glass of soda or pop one or more times per day (such as Coke, Pepsi, or Sprite, not counting diet soda or diet pop, during the 7 days before the survey)	9.7 (7.7–12.2) 689	7.5 (4.7–11.9) 372	11.8 (8.0–17.1) 311
Drank a can, bottle, or glass of soda or pop two or more times per day (such as Coke, Pepsi, or Sprite, not counting diet soda or diet pop, during the 7 days before the survey)	6.0 (4.3–8.3) 689	4.5 (2.4–8.3) 372	7.3 (4.6–11.4) 311
Drank a sports drink (such as Gatorade or Powerade, not counting low-calorie sports drinks such as Propel or G2, during the 7 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Drank a can, bottle, or glass of a sports drink one or more times per day (such as Gatorade or Powerade, not counting low-calorie sports drinks such as Propel or G2, during the 7 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Drank a can, bottle, or glass of a sports drink two or more times per day (such as Gatorade or Powerade, not counting low-calorie sports drinks such as Propel or G2, during the 7 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Did not drink a bottle or glass of plain water (counting tap, bottled, and unflavored sparkling water, during the 7 days before the survey)	3.6 (2.0–6.5) 687	2.6 (1.0–6.6) 371	4.1 (1.8–9.2) 310
Did not eat breakfast (during the 7 days before the survey)	18.8 (14.8–23.5) 689	22.0 (16.0–29.4) 371	15.3 (9.9–22.9) 312
Did not eat breakfast on all 7 days (during the 7 days before the survey)	73.2 (66.6–78.9) 689	78.0 (66.0–86.6) 371	67.8 (60.3–74.5) 312
Physical Activity
Were not physically active for at least 60 minutes on at least 1 day (in any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time, during the 7 days before the survey)	14.1 (9.9–19.6) 691	17.2 (12.2–23.7) 372	10.6 (6.2–17.5) 313
Were not physically active at least 60 minutes per day on 5 or more days (in any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time, during the 7 days before the survey)	54.7 (47.1–62.0) 691	60.2 (47.5–71.7) 372	47.5 (38.3–56.9) 313
Were not physically active at least 60 minutes per day on all 7 days (in any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time, during the 7 days before the survey)	77.9 (74.0–81.3) 691	83.4 (78.8–87.1) 372	70.9 (65.8–75.4) 313
Did not do exercises to strengthen or tone muscles on three or more days (such as push-ups, sit-ups, or weight-lifting, during the 7 days before the survey)	—	—	—
Did not attend physical education (PE) classes on 1 or more days (in an average week when they were in school)	—	—	—
Did not attend physical education (PE) classes on all 5 days (in an average week when they were in school)	—	—	—
Did not play on at least one sports team (counting any teams run by their school or community groups, during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Had a concussion from playing a sport or being physically active (one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	9.6 (6.8–13.3) 687	6.2 (3.7–10.2) 371	13.2 (9.1–18.7) 310
Obesity, Overweight, and Weight Control
Had obesity (students who were >= 95th percentile for body mass index, based on sex- and age-specific reference data from the 2000 CDC growth charts)	13.8 (9.6–19.5) 628	11.2 (7.9–15.6) 340	17.0 (11.3–24.8) 288
Were overweight (students who were >= 85th percentile but <95th percentile for body mass index, based on sex- and age-specific reference data from the 2000 CDC growth charts)	15.7 (11.7–20.9) 628	15.3 (11.5–20.2) 340	16.2 (9.8–25.6) 288
Described themselves as slightly or very overweight	30.9 (24.7–37.9) 684	33.7 (27.2–40.8) 366	28.0 (20.6–36.9) 312
Were not trying to lose weight	—	—	—
Other Health Topics
Never saw a dentist (for a check-up, exam, teeth cleaning, or other dental work, during the 12 months before the survey)	1.6 (0.5–4.5) 689	0.9 (0.2–3.5) 372	2.4 (0.7–8.3) 311
Reported that their mental health was most of the time or always not good (poor mental health includes stress, anxiety, and depression, during the 30 days before the survey)	32.9 (30.0–36.0) 686	44.0 (37.7–50.5) 371	18.6 (13.8–24.7) 309
Did not get 8 or more hours of sleep (on an average school night)	77.4 (73.2–81.1) 689	80.9 (74.8–85.7) 372	73.1 (65.4–79.6) 311
Did not describe their grades in school as mostly A's or B's (during the 12 months before the survey)	17.5 (12.2–24.5) 646	15.4 (10.1–22.8) 344	20.0 (13.7–28.3) 297
Experienced unstable housing (during the 30 days before the survey)	1.7 (0.8–3.5) 690	2.4 (1.2–4.8) 372	0.9 (0.2–4.3) 312
Had a sunburn (counting even a small part of their skin turned red or hurt for 12 hours or more after being outside in the sun or after using a sunlamp or other indoor tanning device, one or more times during the 12 months before the survey)	—	—	—
Strongly disagree, disagree, or are not sure that they feel close to people at their school	—	—	—
Reported that their parents or other adults in their family sometimes, rarely, or never know where they are going or with whom they will be	—	—	—
Reported that an adult or person at least 5 years older than them ever made them do sexual things they did not want to do	—	—	—
Reported that a parent or other adult in their home most of the time or always hit, beat, kicked, or physically hurt them in any way (during their life)	—	—	—
Reported that their parents or other adults in their home most of the time or always slapped, hit, kicked, punched, or beat each other up (during their life)	—	—	—
Reported that an adult in their household sometimes, rarely, or never tried to make sure their basic needs were met (during their life)	—	—	—
Have ever been separated from a parent or guardian because they went to jail, prison, or a detention center	—	—	—
Reported that a parent or other adult in their home most of the time or always hit, beat, kicked, or physically hurt them in any way (during the past 12 months)	—	—	—
Felt that they were ever treated badly or unfairly because of their race or ethnicity (during their life)	52.2 (42.6–61.6) 653	55.5 (44.3–66.1) 348	48.0 (38.6–57.4) 300
Never, rarely, or sometimes felt that they were able to talk to an adult in their family or another caring adult about their feelings (during their life)	68.5 (61.4–74.8) 648	74.4 (66.3–81.2) 346	61.8 (53.3–69.5) 297
Never, rarely, or sometimes felt that they were able to talk to a friend about their feelings (during their life)	—	—	—

**Footnotes**
†	Percentage, confidence interval, cell size
—	Data not available

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