Physical Activities of US High School Students

2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey

KEY TAKEAWAY:

  • Walking is the most common form of physical activity among high school students, and most students do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines.

RESULTS:

  • 15% of students surveyed reported meeting the physical activity guideline, defined by participating in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day for the past seven days.
  • Walking was the most frequently reported physical activity (82.3%), and this was consistent across genders and race/ethnicity groups.
  • Four of the top five physical activities for boys (walking, running/jogging, weight lifting, basketball) and for girls (walking, running/jogging, dance, active video games) were the same across race/ethnic groups.
  • 17.7% of the sample was overweight and 18.8% was obese.

METHODS:

  • This study analyzed types of physical activity, achievement of the physical activity guideline of 60 minutes of daily physical activity, BMI, and demographic variables for a sample of 8,628 U.S. high school students drawn from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study.

Song, M., Carroll, D. D., Lee, S. M., & Fulton, J. E. (2015). Physical Activities of U.S. High School Students — 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey. Journal of Physical Activity and Health 12(Suppl 1), 11–17.

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