Iowa Youth Survey- 2023/2024
Iowa Youth Survey (2023-24)
September 27, 2023
Dear Parent/Legal Guardian:
This fall in your school district and in other districts around the state, 6th, 8th, and 11th graders
will take the 2023 Iowa Youth Survey. For decades, Iowa superintendents, teachers and parents
have supported participation in the Iowa Youth Survey. Hundreds of thousands of Iowa youth
have shared information about their health-related experiences over the years.
The survey will be conducted September 25 through November 3, 2023. The survey is optional.
Students are asked about many topics on the survey, such as: nutrition, exercise and sleep
habits; mental health; use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; bullying, harassment and social
violence; activities, volunteering, and school and adult support. There are no questions
about sexual behavior and the sixth-grade version of the survey complies with state laws about
age-appropriate content. The survey will take one class period or around 40 minutes to
Complete.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services collects the responses from the survey to
analyze the data so we can make decisions, seek funding, and set policy focused on improving
the lives of Iowa’s students. We may also share responses with partners that support our
efforts in this work. Student responses are confidential. Names, birthdates and student
numbers are not collected.
Participating in this survey will cause little or no risk to your student. The only potential risk is
that some students might find certain questions to be uncomfortable to answer. Students can
skip questions they do not want to answer or stop the survey at any time. Students who choose
not to do the survey will do another activity during the survey class period. There is no penalty
for anyone who decides not to participate.
If you have questions about the survey, please contact your school principal or superintendent,
or send an email to iowayouthsurvey@idph.iowa.gov. A copy of the Iowa Youth Survey will be
available at the school office and/or District Office and is also posted online at the Iowa Youth
Health Assessment Program page at https://hhs.iowa.gov/php/Iowa-Youth-Health-Assessment-
Program.
If you do not want your student to take the survey, you do not need to do anything. Only
students who have parent permission will participate. Permission needs to be received by
the school system no later than October 20, 2023.
