title: High Risk Behaviors but Low Injury-Related Mortality Among Hispanic Teens in Missouri.
abstract: Our objective was to examine racial/ethnic disparities in injury-related risk behaviors and deaths among teens in Missouri, with a focus on Hispanic people-the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the state.
  
  
  
  We used data from the 2013 Missouri Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included 1616 students in grades 9 through 12 from 32 public and charter high schools. The overall response rate was 69%. We compared the prevalence of 10 injury-related risk behaviors among racial/ethnic groups and used multivariate logistic regression models to control for respondent age and sex. Using data from the 2000-2014 Missouri death records, we also compared injury-related death rates among racial/ethnic groups of teens aged 15 to 19 years.
  
  
  
  Hispanic students had a significantly higher prevalence than non-Hispanic white students for 9 of 10 risk behaviors and a significantly higher prevalence than non-Hispanic black students for 6 of the 10 risk behaviors included in the study. However, Hispanic teens aged 15 to 19 years had a significantly lower death rate from suicide, homicide, and unintentional injury combined (39.8 per 100000 population, 95% confidence interval [CI], 32.2-48.5) when compared with their non-Hispanic white (54.3 per 100000 population, 95% CI, 52.3-54.6) or non-Hispanic black (94.1 per 100000 population, 95% CI, 87.9-100.3) counterparts.
  
  
  
  Injury-related risk behaviors were more prevalent among Hispanic students than non-Hispanic white or non-Hispanic black students. Further efforts are needed to understand risk behaviors among Hispanic teens to guide intervention efforts.
authors.affiliation: Office of Epidemiology, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Shumei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Office of Epidemiology, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Noaman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kayani
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Health Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geiger
authors.affiliation: Office of Epidemiology, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Sherri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Homan
authors.affiliation: Office of Epidemiology, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescent health; injury; racial and ethnic disparities; risk behaviors