Challenges

• Childhood obesity has nearly tripled in the past 30 years, according to the CDC. The prevalence of obesity in students ages 12 to 19 years increased from 5 percent to 18 percent from 1980 to 2008. The obesity crisis is leading to an increased prevalence in conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and asthma. In 2002, more than 9 million students age 18 and younger did not have health insurance. And, according to the General Accounting Office, almost 50 percent of schools reported poor environmental conditions for their students.
  
  

Alcohol and Drug Use

• Alcohol is the most frequent drug used by students aged 12 to 17 years, according to the Healthy People 2010 report. According to the 2003 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students who get higher grades are less likely to use alcohol and drugs. In addition, students who do not use alcohol and drugs get higher grades on average. The survey reported that students with higher grades are less susceptible to lifetime alcohol use, binge drinking, drug use at an early age and drug use on school property.
  
  

Nutrition

• Only 2 percent of students receive the recommended daily minimum amount from each of the five food groups in the USDA Food Pyramid, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers Policy Statement on School Health. Also, by age 14, 52 percent of boys and 32 percent of girls consume three or more servings of soda each day.
  
  

Physicial Activity

• In a 1999 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 65 percent of students engaged in the recommended daily amount of physical activity. Of students in grades 9 through 12, 52 percent were enrolled in a physical education class and 33 percent had daily physician education in 2002. According to the 2003 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students who engaged in physical activity were more likely to have higher grades, watch television for three hours or less per day and play video games for three hours or less per day.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Health education increases students awareness of health issues and motivates students to make positive changes to their health. To address the obesity crisis, students need more preventative educational resources, increased access to healthy food, increased physical education programs in schools and more social and support services.