

- In 2013, about one in four high school students surveyed had participated in at least one hour of physical activity per day during the week before the survey.
- Children and adolescents should bephysically active for at least an hour a day. Being active during the school day canenhance academic performance [PDF-2.5MB].
- Schools can use CDC’s Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: A Guide for Schools to help students meet their physical activity requirements and develop knowledge, skills, and confidence to remain active for a lifetime.
Physical Activity Facts
Physical Activity and the Health of Young People
Benefits of Regular Physical Activity
Regular physical activity—
- Helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles.1
- Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer.1
- Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being.1
- May help improve students’ academic performance, including
- Academic achievement and grades
- Academic behavior, such as time on task
- Factors that influence academic achievement, such as concentration and attentiveness in the classroom.4
Long-Term Consequences of Physical Inactivity
- Overweight and obesity, which are influenced by physical inactivity and poor diet, can increase one’s risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and poor health status.5-7
- Physical inactivity increases one’s risk for dying prematurely, dying of heart disease, and developing diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure.1
Participation in Physical Activity by Young People
- In a nationally representative survey, 77% of children aged 9–13 years reported participating in free-time physical activity during the previous 7 days.4
- In 2013, only 29% percent of high school students had participated in at least 60 minutes per day of physical activity on each of the 7 days before the survey.3
- 15.2% percent of high school students had not participated in 60 or more minutes of any kind of physical activity on any day during the 7 days before the survey.3
- Participation in physical activity declines as young people age.3
Percentage of High School Students Participating in Physical Activity and Physical Education, by Sex, 20133
Type of Activity | Females | Males |
---|---|---|
Physically active at least 60 minutes/daya | 17.7% | 36.6% |
Attended physical education classes dailyb | 24.0% | 34.9% |
aAny kind of physical activity that increased heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time for at least 60 minutes per day on each of the 7 days before the survey. bAttended physical education classes 5 days in an average week when they were in school. |
Participation in Physical Education Classes
- In 2013, less than half (48%) of high school students (64% of 9th-grade students but only 35% of 12th-grade students) attended physical education classes in an average week.3
- The percentage of high school students who attended physical education classes daily decreased from 42% in 1991 to 25% in 1995 and remained stable at that level until 2013 (29%).3
- In 2013, 42% of 9th-grade students but only 20% of 12th-grade students attended physical education class daily.3
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