California Adolescents Increasingly Inactive

Publication Date: April 2005

Publisher: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

Author(s): Susan H. Babey; Allison L. Diamant; E. Richard Brown; Theresa A. Hastert

Research Area: Health

Keywords: physical activity; diet; chronic conditions

Type: Brief

Coverage: California

Abstract:

This policy brief describes physical activity among California's adolescents based primarily on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2003). The number of California adolescents who are physically inactive is increasing. Teenage girls, teens from low-income families, teens with no access to safe parks or open spaces, teens whose schools do not require physical education, and Latino, Asian, and African American teens are particularly at risk.
The policy brief recommends that efforts to increase physical activity among California's youth should focus on assuring increased opportunities for activity at school and more safe environments for activity out of school.