Survey Administrator Training

Office of Family Health ServicesVirginia Department of Health

September 2013

Purpose of the VYS• The Virginia Youth Survey (VYS) has been developed to monitor priority

health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

• The Virginia Youth Survey is conducted by the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education using funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• The survey measures various behaviors including:• Behaviors related to injuries and violence• Alcohol and other drug use• Dietary behaviors• Physical activity

• Additional technical information and data are available on the VDH website: http://www.vahealth.org/youthsurvey

The VYS ask teens questions about behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability.

Causes of Death among Teens (12-19 yrs.) in Virginia, 2002-2011

Homicide14%

Suicide13%

Other Causes (Residual)

17%

Congenital Abnormalities

2%

Malignant Neoplasms

6%

Heart Disease3%

Unintentional Drowning5%

Other Unintentional Deaths

11%

Motor Vehicle Traffic Accident

72%

Other Land Transport Accident

3%

Accidental Poisoning9%

Unintentional Injury45%

Percent Distribution of Unintentional Deaths by Mechanism of Injury

Causes of Death among Teens (12-19 yrs.) in Virginia, by Year

Homici

de

Suici

de

Unint

entio

nal I

njur

y

Other

Cau

ses (R

esid

ual)

Conge

nita

l Abn

orm

aliti

es

Malig

nant

Neo

plas

ms

Heart

Diseas

e

Respi

rato

ry D

isea

ses

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

2002-20062007-2011

Number of Deaths among Teens (12-19 yrs.) in Virginia, 2002-2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

366 362 361 362 359

336

382

255273 282

Year

Num

ber

of

Death

s

Purpose of the VYS

• VYS results will help measure how many youth engage in health risk behaviors and how many practice health-promoting behaviors.

• This year’s results will be compared with previous years' results to see trends over time (see example to the left for smoking trends).

• The survey results will be used to create school and community programs to encourage health and safety and to reduce risk behaviors. 

What is new in 2013?

• This year the Virginia Youth Survey and the Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey will be combined into one survey to reduce the loss of instructional time in the classroom.

• Regional VYS data will be available by the summer of 2014 (See the map to the right for the regions).

• VYS is being administered in both middle and high schools

Northwestern Northern

Eastern

Central

Southwestern

Five Health Regions in Virginia

Importance of Survey Procedures

• This year 270 schools throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia will participate in the VYS

• Over 20,000 middle and high school students will complete the survey

• In order to ensure consistency across each participating school and classroom VDH is providing the following helpful documents:

o This PowerPoint (Survey Administrator Training)o Instructions for Virginia Youth Survey Administratorso Script for Survey Administrators

• Please review each document before administering the survey in the classroom

Survey Materials

VDH will provide the following materials before your survey administration date:

• Poster containing reminders for students• Survey booklets • Answer sheets (Scantron)• #2 pencils• Envelope in which students can put their completed Answer

Sheets• Pre-addressed, postage-paid return envelope for shipping

Answer Sheets unless a prior arrangement has been made for the surveys to be picked up by a VDH staff member

Administering the Survey to Students

• Record on the Classroom-Level Sample Information Form the number of students enrolled in the class

• Take attendance

• Read directions aloud to the students before they begin the survey

• Remind students not to write their names on the survey materials

• Allow enough time for students to complete the survey

• Students should only use #2 pencils to complete the survey

• Do not review survey responses as students turn in their answer sheets

• Once all students have turned in their questionnaire booklets and answer sheets, record the number of students in the class who completed the survey on the Classroom-Level Sample Information Form

Survey Environment

• Poster containing reminders for students is provided by VDH and can be posted in the classroom

• Spread out the desks so students can sit as far apart as possible

• Do not allow anyone to talk or wander around the classroom once the survey has begun

Answer Sheets

The bubbles on the back of the Answer Sheets do not need to be filled-in. Please leave the bubbles blank.

Confidentiality

• Survey administrators help to protect the confidentiality of schools and the anonymity of students, improve the quality of data collected, and increase survey response rates

• Please sign and return the Assurance of Confidentiality for Survey Administrators Form (on the right).

• Please, do not review survey responses as students turn in their answer sheets

Returning the Survey Materials

• Bundle the Classroom-Level Sample Information Form/s, and all the answer sheets for each class together.

• Please return the Assurance of Confidentiality for Surveys Administrators Form/s

• The bundles and form/s should be placed in the pre-addressed, postage-paid UPS envelope

• Please keep the pencils and dispose of the survey questionnaires

Please email or call with any questions

Danielle HendersonOffice of Family Health Services

Virginia Department of Health109 Governor Street, Room 1026G

Richmond, VA 23219danielle.henderson@vdh.virginia.gov

804-864-7649