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- Adolescents and Young
Adults
- Physical Activity and
Health: A Report of the Surgeon General
KEY MESSAGES
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Adolescents and young
adults, both male and female, benefit from physical activity.
-
Physical activity need
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
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Nearly half of American
youths aged 12-21 years are not vigorously active on a regular basis.
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About 14 percent of
young people report no recent physical activity. Inactivity is more common
among females (14%) than males (7%) and among black females (21%) than
white females (12%).
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Participation in all
types of physical activity declines strikingly as age or grade in school
increases.
-
Only 19 percent of all
high school students are physically active for 20 minutes or more, five
days a week, in physical education classes.
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Daily enrollment in
physical education classes dropped from 42 percent to 25 percent among
high school students between 1991 and 1995.
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Well designed
school-based interventions directed at increasing physical activity in
physical education classes have been shown to be effective.
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Social support from
family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular
physical activity.
BENEFITS OF
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
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Helps build and
maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
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Helps control weight,
build lean muscle, and reduce fat.
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Prevents or delays the
development of high blood pressure and helps reduce blood pressure in some
adolescents with hypertension.
WHAT COMMUNITIES
CAN DO
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Provide quality,
preferably daily, K-12 physical education classes and hire physical
education specialists to teach them.
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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.
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Provide appropriate
physically active role models for youths.
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Provide access to
school buildings and community facilities that enable safe participation
in physical activity.
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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.
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Encourage health care
providers to talk routinely to adolescents and young adults about the
importance of incorporating physical activity into their lives.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION CONTACT:
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Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, MS K-46
4770 Buford Highway, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724
1-888-CDC-4NRG or 1-888-232-4674 (Toll Free)
http://www.cdc.gov
The President's
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Box SG
Suite 250
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
Path:
Home>Education>Fitness
and Physical Activity Information>Physical
Activity and Your Health: Adolescents and Young Adults
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