Almost 80% of young people do not eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Nearly 9 million youth in the United States aged 6–19 years are overweight.

• Healthful eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stroke.1 Healthful eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, and iron deficiency anemia.1
   

• Most young people are not following the recommendations set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: of U.S. youth aged 6-19, 67% exceed dietary guidelines recommendations for fat intake, 72% exceed recommendations for saturated fat intake.2
   

• In 2005, only 20.1% of high school students reported eating fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (when fried potatoes and potato chips are excluded) during the past 7 days.3

Participation in physical activity declines as children get older. Overall, in 2005, 36% of 9-12 graders had participated in at least 60 minutes per day of physical activity. Nearly 37% of 9th graders, but only 33% of 12th graders, participated in 60 minutes of physical activity on a regular basis.

• Physical activity reduces the risk of premature mortality in general, and of coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes mellitus in particular.4
   

• Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence improves strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels.5
   

• Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age help lay the basis for being regularly active throughout life.4

 

This information is from the CDC Healthy Youth! Adolescent Health Website.

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^References:

1.         U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. Rockville, MD.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health  Service, Office of the Surgeon General, 2001.

2.        U. S. Department of Agriculture. Continuing survey of food intakes by individuals, 1994-96, 1998.

3.        CDC. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005 [pdf 300K]  Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 2006;55(SS-5):1–108.

4.        CDC. Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996.