U.S. Students Not Following a Healthy Diet or Other Behaviors Necessary for Better Health

U.S. high school students do not engage in adequate levels of healthy dietary behaviors, according to a report on data pulled from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This recently released report provides surveillance data, 10-year trends, and two-year changes in health behaviors and experiences among U.S. high school students, and focuses on various lifestyle behaviors. According to the findings, from 2013 to 2023, there were declines observed in the percentage of students eating fruit (63 to 55 percent), vegetables (61 to 58 percent), and breakfast daily (38 to 27 percent). Sleep and physical activity were also found to be problematic – declines were seen in the percentage of students engaging in daily physical activity (27 to 25 percent), and sports team participation (54 to 52 percent). Furthermore, the percentage of students getting at least eight hours of sleep went down (32 to 23 percent). If these trends continue the chances we will witness a healthier America in the future is slim.