1 in 4 kids meet fitness guidelines

Studies show that only 1 in 4 kids in the United States aged 12-15 get the recommended hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. These results are based on the 800 kids who self-reported their physical exams and activities to the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention haven’t said directly that these numbers are disappointing, rather “there’s always room for improvement.”

Very few children met guidelines in 2008 for activity raising heart rates, although most said that they did have at least an hour of exercise at that level in the previous week. Rounding out to almost 25 percent, children said they got that kind of exercise every day for an hour. Data suggests that obesity might have possibly decreased slightly among some children and teens, but the overall rate is still approximately 17 percent, or 12.5 million obese kids aged 2 to 19.