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U.S. Students Not Engaging in Healthy Diet, Exercise, Sleep Behaviors

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 19, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Jan. 17, 2025 -- U.S. high school students do not engage in adequate levels of healthy dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors, according to a report on data pulled from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

The report provides surveillance data, 10-year trends, and two-year changes in health behaviors and experiences among U.S. high school students, and focuses on dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors.

According to the report, from 2013 to 2023, there was a decrease in healthy dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors. Declines were observed in the percentage of students eating fruit (63 to 55 percent), vegetables (61 to 58 percent), and breakfast daily (38 to 27 percent). Declines were also seen in the percentage of students engaging in daily physical activity (27 to 25 percent), muscle strengthening at least three days per week (52 to 51 percent), daily physical education classes (29 to 27 percent), and sports team participation (54 to 52 percent). Furthermore, the percentage of students getting at least eight hours of sleep went down (32 to 23 percent). There was an increase, however, in the percentage of students who drank plain water at least three times per day, did not drink soda, and did not drink sports drinks.

"Both female students and LGBTQ+ students are less likely than their peers to engage in most of these health behaviors that help prevent chronic diseases," the authors write.

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

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