Most teens not exercising enough, study finds

Adam Barnes
·2 min read

Story at a glance

  • Researchers at the University of Georgia found that 75 percent of students were not getting the recommended amount of daily exercise.

  • Then they looked for a link between exercise and a student’s school environment.

  • The team surveyed 360,000 high school students across Georgia.

Most teens are not exercising enough, and researchers say this could be related to their school’s climate.

Researchers at the University of Georgia found that 75 percent of students were not getting the recommended amount of daily exercise and looked for a link between exercise and student’s school environment.

“The length of recess, physical facilities and social environments at schools have been found to affect physical activity among students,” said Janani Thapa, an associate professor of health policy and management at the University of Georgia.

The team surveyed 360,000 high school students across Georgia, finding female students exercised less than males.

“We do not know much about the role of school climate on physical activity,” said Thapa. “There must have been barriers that were faced by certain groups of students. Hence, we wanted to investigate the difference by gender.”

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They measured students’ views on school connectedness, peer social support, adult social support, cultural acceptance, physical environment, school safety, peer victimization (bullying) and school support environment.

Activity levels fell for both genders from grades 9 through 12. Yet the research suggests physical activity rose when there was a positive school climate. In schools where students reported bullying there was a corresponding drop in activity – especially among female students.

“For example, female students who are active in sports and physically active may not fit the gender norm and hence may face bullying,” said Thapa.

The researchers said schools can play a part in increasing teens’ exercise by creating a safe atmosphere for their students.

Medical professionals recommend children ages six through 17 exercise for 60 minutes each day.

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