Weapon Carrying—Youth Risk Behavior Survey/NYC Youth Violence Survey

In recent years, the prevalence of weapon carrying among youth has become a major concern for public health officials, law enforcement, and parents alike. To better understand the scope of the issue, researchers have conducted surveys to assess the prevalence of weapon carrying among youth. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the NYC Youth Violence Survey (YVS) are two such surveys that have been conducted in the United States. The YRBS is a biennial survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess the prevalence of healthrisk behaviors among youth in grades 912. The survey includes questions about weapon carrying, including whether the respondent has ever carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club. The survey also asks if the respondent has ever carried a weapon to school or to a public place in the past 30 days. The YVS is a biennial survey conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to assess the prevalence of weapon carrying among youth in grades 612. The survey includes questions about weapon carrying, including whether the respondent has ever carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club. The survey also asks if the respondent has ever carried a weapon to school or to a public place in the past 30 days. The results of the YRBS and YVS surveys indicate that weapon carrying among youth is a serious problem. According to the YRBS, approximately 8.2% of high school students reported carrying a weapon to school or to a public place in the past 30 days. Similarly, the YVS found that approximately 10.3% of middle and high school students reported carrying a weapon to school or to a public place in the past 30 days. These results demonstrate the need for continued efforts to reduce weapon carrying among youth. Strategies such as schoolbased violence prevention programs, improved access to mental health services, and increased parental involvement can help reduce the prevalence of weapon carrying among youth. It is also important for parents, educators, and law enforcement to work together to ensure that youth have access to resources and support to help them make safe and healthy decisions.
Anywhere
1. During the past 30 days‚ on how many days did you carry a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club?
a. 0 days
b. 1 day
c. 2 or 3 days
d. 4 or 5 days
e. 6 or more days
2. During the past 30 days‚ on how many days did you carry a gun?
a. 0 days
b. 1 day
c. 2 or 3 days
d. 4 or 5 days
e. 6 or more days
3. What is the single most important reason that you carried a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club during the past 30 days?
a. I did not carry a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club during the past 30 days
b. For protection against attacks by other people
c. Because my friends carry weapons
d. Because it makes me feel important
e. To “show off” and impress my friends
f. Because I wanted to hurt someone
g. Other
4. During the past 30 days‚ the last time you carried a handgun‚ from where did you get the handgun?
a. I did not carry a handgun during the past 30 days
b. Parent or other family member’s handgun taken from home
c. Purchased from a store that sells handguns
d. Purchased “on the street”
e. Borrowed from a friend or someone I know
f. Stolen
g. Other
To/From School
5. During the past 30 days‚ on how many days did you carry a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club going to or from school?
a. 0 days
b. 1 day
c. 2 to 3 days
d. 4 to 5 days
e. 6 to 9 days
f. 10 to 13 days
g. 14 to 17 days
h. 18 or more days
6. During the past 30 days‚ on how many days did you carry a handgun going to or from school?
a. 0 days
b. 1 day
c. 2 to 3 days
d. 4 to 5 days
e. 6 to 9 days
f. 10 to 13 days
g. 14 to 17 days
h. 18 or more days
On School Property
7. During the past 30 days‚ on how many days did you carry a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club on school property?
a. 0 days
b. 1 day
c. 2 or 3 days
d. 4 or 5 days
e. 6 or more days
8. During the past 12 months‚ how many times has someone threatened or injured you with a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club on school property?
a. 0 times
b. 1 time
c. 2 or 3 times
d. 4 or 5 times
e. 6 or 7 times
f. 8 or 9 times
g. 10 or 11 times
h. 12 or more times
(Items 3‚ 4‚ 5 and 6‚ above‚ are from the NYC Youth Violence Survey.)
 
 
Delinquency
Gun
 
This instrument can be found on pages 267-269 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes‚ Behaviors‚ and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools‚ available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf
 
Individual items can be scored by assigning point values to correspond to response categories. For items with a range‚ a midpoint value can also be assigned. Incidence rates for items 1‚ 2‚ 5‚ 6‚ 7 and 8‚ and standard errors for these estimates are calculated as follows:
Incidence Rate = Σ(i=1 to n) PiCi
Standard Error = √ΣCi2(Var(Pi)
P = the proportion of subjects
i = (1‚2‚3….n) levels of the variable of interest
C = frequency of behavior
Incidence Rate = the proportion of subjects with the behavior of interest (Pi) multiplied by the frequency of that behavior (Ci)‚ or use a midpoint if there is a range.
Standard Error = the square root of the sum of the frequency of the behavior squared (Ci2) multiplied by the variance of each proportion (Var(Pi)).
Example: Incidence Rate of Weapon Carrying Among Hispanic Females
i = 1‚2‚3‚4 (1 day‚ 2.5 days‚ 4.5 days‚ 6+ days)
j = 1‚2‚3 (White‚ Black‚ Hispanic)
k = 1‚2 (Female‚ Male)
For Hispanic females (j=3‚k=1) the incidence rate can be designated as IRjk or IR31 and calculated as follows:
IR31 = Σ(i=1 to 4) Pi31Ci.
 

Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH)‚ Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. New York City Youth Violence Survey. Atlanta‚ GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‚ 1993.

 
 
x