Leading Health Indicator 12 (continued)
Benefits of Child and Youth Physical Activity
(continued)
Florida white, black and Hispanic youth were less likely to engage in vigorous
physical activity and daily physical education and more likely to have no vigorous
or moderate physical activity than U.S. high school students in 2001. An increased
percent of black youth in the U.S. and Florida reported watching TV on an average
school day three hours or more. As grade level increased in 2001, the general
trend was a decrease in physical activity and T.V. watching. The most dramatic
change was a greater than 50 percent decrease in daily physical education classes
between ninth and twelfth grade students in the U.S. and Florida in 2001.
Figure 63: Florida and U.S. Physical Activity and TV Watching by Grade Level,
2001
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Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) 2001, Tables 34, 42, 44;
MMWR Surveillance Summaries
- June 28, 2002
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr and
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/YRBSS
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Contributing factors to low levels of physical activity among youth include
decreased high school and college resources for physical education classes and
after school programs, decreased community staff for recreation programs in
neighborhood parks, increased television watching and computer time, decreased
walking or biking, and increased use of automobiles for transportation.
(13) There are also environmental and
developmental pressures affecting the lack of physical activity in youth. Around 30
percent of 16 to 17-year-olds work and go to school. In addition, they must keep
up with homework after school. These children may have little time to exercise and
play and still meet the increased need for sleep (nine hours-a-day).
(6,
14-16)
Children with Special Health Care Needs
(CSHCN)(5-8)
Children with disabilities and chronic health conditions can benefit from
regular exercise. While childhood illness is not likely to be prevented by
exercise, physical activity provides an important positive effect on chronic
disease and developmental delays. Because some illnesses, such as asthma,
require awareness of health/physical limitations and what to do when
over-exertion triggers an unhealthy event, families or other caregivers of
CSHCN may be afraid to allow their child to play with other children or engage
in exercise. Children with developmental disabilities are often excluded from
physical activities in school and the community since they are perceived as
not having the ability to participate or might get hurt if they participate.
In fact, children with disabilities should be included and encouraged to
participate since they will receive the same benefits that their typical peers
receive from that participation. Participation with peers in physical and
leisure time activities promote friendships and integration of children with
developmental disabilities into their school and community.
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