Photo Credit: Albina Tiplyashina
High school students in the United States do not engage enough in healthy lifestyle behaviors, according to the CDC. From 2013 to 2023, there was a decrease in multiple types of healthy behaviors, including the percentage of students eating fruit (63% to 55%) and vegetables (61% to 58%) and having breakfast daily (38% to 27%). Declines were also seen in the percentage of students engaging in daily physical activity (27% to 25%), muscle strengthening (52% to 51%), and sports team participation (54% to 52%). Furthermore, the percentage of students getting at least 8 hours of sleep declined from 32% to 23%. 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,” investigators wrote.
