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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce gun carrying among adolescents — IVP‑12 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About this objective  |  Methodology  |  History

About this objective

Data

Data Source:  Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), CDC/NCCDPHP

National baseline: 4.8 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported that they had carried a gun (excluding carrying guns only for hunting or for a sport such as target shooting) on at least 1 day in the past 12 months in 2017

National target: 3.7 percent

Numerator
Number of students in grades 9 through 12 who report carrying a gun on at least 1 day during the past 12 months.
Denominator
Number of students in grades 9 through 12.
National target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
National target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
National target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because trends for the Healthy People 2020 objective, adolescent weapon carrying, have remained relatively stable, so the Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts did not expect a large decline in adolescent gun carrying.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System:

Numerator:
During the past 12 months, on how many days did you carry a gun? (Do not count the days when you carried a gun only for hunting or for a sport, such as target shooting.)
  1. 0 days
  2. 1 day
  3. 2 or 3 days
  4. 4 or 5 days
  5. 6 or more days

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from Healthy People 2020 objective IVP-36 in that objective IVP-36 tracked weapon carrying on school property among adolescents, while this objective tracks gun carrying among adolescents.
Revision History
Revised. 

In 2024, the baseline race/ethnicity data were revised at the request of the data provider.