How Healthy Are Teenagers?
How do today’s teenagers compare in health to teenagers of a few decades ago? Not very well according to a National Institutes of Health study. A recent article noted, Most teens not the picture of health . Unlike years ago, the typical teenager in America is not out playing basketball, baseball, riding bikes, hiking, walking to a part-time job. Too many teens today are inside playing video games, watching TV, or cruising the internet. Not only are they not outside and exercising, their diets are also lacking. The study from the National Institutes of Health studied 10,000 teens in 39 states ages 11-16. They found that only 50% of today’s teens participate in physical activity for 5 or more days during the week. As to their diet only 1 in 3 teenagers ate fruits and vegetables every day. This is compared to the recommended amount of at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day and many teenagers aren’t eating any fruits and vegetab...