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Educating the Student Body
FIGURE 2-10
Percentage of high school students meeting physical activity recommendations, 
doing strength training, playing on one or more sports teams, and engaging in 20 minutes or 
more of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity during physical education.
NOTES: VigPA = activities that caused sweating and hard breathing for at least 20 minutes 
on at least 3 of the 7 preceding days; ModPA = walked or biked for at least 30 minutes on at 
least 5 of the 7 preceding days; 60min5+days = physical activity that caused increased heart 
rate and hard breathing for a total of at least 60 minutes on at least 5 of the 7 preceding 
days; 60minNoDays = physical activity that caused increased heart rate and hard breathing 
for a total of at least 60 minutes on none of the 7 preceding days; Strength = activities such 
as push-ups, sit-ups, or weight lifting on at least 3 of the 7 preceding days; 20+minPE = 
among students who attended physical education classes, exercised, or played sports for 
more than 20 minutes during an average physical education class; 1+SptTeam = played on at 
least one sports team run by the student’s school or community groups during the 12 months 
before the survey.
SOURCE: CDC, 2012a. 
Figure 2-10.eps
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1993 1995 1997 1999 2001
Year
2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
P
ercentage
VigPA
ModPA
60min5+days
60minNoDays
Strength
20+minPE
1+SptTeam
13 percent; among children living within 1 mile of their school, it dropped 
from 86 percent to 50 percent (McDonald, 2007) (see Figure 2-11).