What's Up With Physical Fitness?
What's Going on?!
KEY MESSAGES
Adolescents and young adults, both male and female, benefit from physical activity.
Physical activity needs not be strenuous to be beneficial.
Moderate amounts of daily physical activity are recommended for people of all ages. This amount can be obtained in longer sessions of moderately intense activities, such as brisk walking for 30 minutes, or in shorter sessions of more intense activities, such as jogging or playing basketball for 15-20 minutes.
Greater amounts of physical activity are even more beneficial, up to a point. Excessive amounts of physical activity can lead to injuries, menstrual abnormalities, and bone weakening.
FACTS
Less than one-quarter (24%) of children 6 to 17 years of age participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day. 8
In 2017, only 26.1% of high school students participate in at least 60 minutes per day of physical activity on all 7 days of the previous week.9
In 2017, 51.1% of high school students participated in muscle strengthening exercises (e.g., push-ups, sit-ups, weight lifting) on 3 or more days during the previous week.9
In 2017, 51.7% of high school students attended physical education classes in an average week, and only 29.9% of high school students attended physical education classes daily.9
BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Regular physical activity can help children and adolescents improve:
cardio-respiratory fitness
build strong bones and muscles
control weight
reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as: Heart disease. Cancer. Type 2 diabetes. High blood pressure. Osteoporosis. Obesity.
WHAT COMMUNITIES CAN DO
Provide quality, preferably daily, K-12 physical education classes and hire physical education specialists to teach them.
Create opportunities for physical activities that are enjoyable, that promote adolescents' and young adults' confidence in their ability to be physically active, and that involve friends, peers, and parents.
Provide appropriate physically active role models for youths.
Provide access to school buildings and community facilities that enable safe participation in physical activity.
Provide a range of extracurricular programs in schools and community recreation centers to meet the needs and interests of specific adolescent and young adult populations, such as racial and ethnic minority groups, females, persons with disabilities, and low-income groups.
Encourage health care providers to talk routinely to adolescents and young adults about the importance of incorporating physical activity into their lives.