Teen Activity and Weight

A study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, examined 3,345 American teens in grades 8 to 12 and found that those who were physically active at school and outside of school were less likely to be overweight when they were young adults.

For every day per week that teens were physically active at school, their risk of being overweight as young adults was reduced by 5 percent, the study said. Teens who had physical education five days a week were 28 percent less likely to be overweight as young adults.


Statistics estimate that approximatly 16 percent of American teens are overweight or obese, and 85 percent of obese adolescents become obese adults.
Adolescents who participate in physical education at school are more likely to maintain a normal weight as young adults, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For each weekday of physical education at school the odds of being an overweight adult decreased by 5 percent. Participation in all five days of physical education decreased the odds of being an overweight adult by 28 percent. The study is published in the January 2008 edition of the journal, Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The researchers found that increased participation in physical education and certain extracurricular physical activities decreased the likelihood of being overweight as an adult.