Health Facts

Facts on Kid's Health

  • The average child gets less than 15 minutes of vigorous activity a day.
  • The average U.S. child gets approximately 43 minutes of moderate physical activity a day.
  • The average U.S. child spends 20% of his/her waking time watching TV.
  • Obesity and superobesity are up 36% and 98%, respectively, in the past 20 years.
  • The average child consumes at least 20 ounces of soda pop a day.
  • The child of today is less fit and more fat than the child of the 60's.
  • Thirty-six percent of the children get daily physical education; 36% get two or fewer days.
  • Nine out of ten parents think their children are fit, when only one out of three are.
  • At age 10, 45% of young people say they participate, or intend to participate, on a non-school team. Among 18-year-olds, the figure is 26%.
  • Thirty percent of youths (10-19 years) have negative or neutral attitudes towards physical activity.
  • In a typical physical education class, only 27% of actual physical education time is devoted to motor activity.
  • The average heart rates in a typical 30-minute physical education class range between 90 and 129 beats per minute.
  • The older girls get, the less likely they are to work out.
  • Grade school students are 24% more active than high schoolers.
  • Asian and Hispanic girls are notably less active than girls of other backgrounds, including African-Americans, Whites and girls of mixed heritage.
  • Children exercise less as they get older, boys about 3% less each year; girls, 7.5%.
  • The most popular physical education offerings for grades 7-9:

    Boys Girls
    1)basketball 1)basketball
    2)calisthenics/exercise 2)calisthenics/exercise
    3)baseball 3)volleyball
    4)football 4)jogging
    5)jogging 5)baseball/softball

  • The two biggest reasons kids participate in sport and exercise are fun and socialization.
  • About 42% of middle school students consider themselves more fit than their peers. Sixteen percent rate themselves as not as good.
  • Thirty-six percent of middle school students say that they think that kids who exercise do better in school, about one-third are not sure, and 28% disagree.
  • Fifty-four percent of students claim that their physical education class is very important to them.
  • About 50% of all students report that physical education class time should be increased in the middle school.