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The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors: National and State Perspectives 2004

Section III

Risk Factors and Use of Preventive Services, United States

NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only.

  




Lack of Enrollment in Physical Education Class Among High School Students

Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence improves strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. High school physical education (PE) classes are important for ensuring that young people have a minimal, regular amount of physical activity and for establishing physical activity patterns that may be carried into adulthood.

  • In 2001, 48% of U.S. high school students were not enrolled in a PE class.
  • Among high school students in 2001, the percentage who attended PE class one or more days during an average school week declined with each successive grade, from 74% of 9th graders to 31% of 12 graders.
  • The percentage of high school students who reported not being enrolled in a PE class in the states that collected this information in 2001 ranged from 6% in New York to 78% in South Dakota.

Percentage of High School Students Who Reported Not Being Enrolled in Physical Education Class, 2001

Percentage of High School Students Who Reported Not Being Enrolled in Physical Education Class, 2001

Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

[A text description of this map is also available.]

 

Percentage of High School Students Who Reported Not Being Enrolled in Physical Education Classes, by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 2001

State* Total Male Female White Black† Hispanic† Other†
               
ALABAMA 60.8 50.1 71.2 62.6 57.3 - -
ALASKA              
ARIZONA              
ARKANSAS 63.5 61.6 65.4 64.3 62.3 - -
CALIFORNIA              
COLORADO‡ 49.1 43.2 55.6 52.6 - 51.1 -
CONNECTICUT              
DELAWARE 57.9 56.6 59.4 61.9 50.4 57.0 51.9
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 39.8 39.4 40.2 - 37.9 47.8 43.0
FLORIDA 58.4 50.7 66.3 61.9 49.0 58.5 61.2
GEORGIA              
HAWAII‡ 58.5 50.1 65.0 48.1 - - 59.9
IDAHO 56.9 51.4 62.8 58.5 - 45.3 48.0
ILLINOIS‡1 18.0 18.7 17.3 17.4 - - -
INDIANA‡ 62.0 54.0 68.7 63.3 - - -
IOWA‡ 20.0 16.0 24.0 20.1 - - -
KANSAS              
KENTUCKY‡ 71.0 63.1 78.3 72.7 - - -
LOUISIANA‡2 41.9 33.9 48.0 45.8 39.4 - -
MAINE 58.1 58.0 58.2 58.4 - - 42.1
MARYLAND              
MASSACHUSETTS 32.0 30.5 33.5 31.3 33.2 34.8 33.1
MICHIGAN 55.9 50.0 62.0 57.2 48.7 54.1 52.1
MINNESOTA              
MISSISSIPPI 68.3 52.7 82.2 74.0 61.5 - -
MISSOURI 44.1 37.8 50.7 42.8 51.5 - -
MONTANA 47.7 44.4 51.7 49.0 - - 38.2
NEBRASKA‡ 57.0 47.6 66.4 57.1 - - -
NEVADA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
NEW HAMPSHIRE‡ NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
NEW JERSEY 7.6 7.6 7.5 7.2 6.0 9.8 12.8
NEW MEXICO              
NEW YORK‡3 6.4 7.6 5.1 5.7 - - 12.9
NORTH CAROLINA 52.9 43.5 62.2 56.5 45.3 - 51.0
NORTH DAKOTA 52.0 47.8 56.6 53.4 - - -
OHIO              
OKLAHOMA              
OREGON              
PENNSYLVANIA              
RHODE ISLAND 11.9 12.1 11.7 8.5 23.1 25.5 25.4
SOUTH CAROLINA‡ 54.1 45.4 62.4 55.0 54.8 - 47.9
SOUTH DAKOTA 77.9 72.8 83.0 78.9 - - 71.3
TENNESSEE‡ 58.4 54.2 62.8 60.1 52.4 - -
TEXAS 52.0 48.3 55.9 49.8 49.0 56.5 39.8
UTAH 41.0 38.3 43.8 41.1 - - 32.4
VERMONT 50.9 47.4 54.7 NA NA NA NA
VIRGINIA              
WASHINGTON              
WEST VIRGINIA              
WISCONSIN NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
WYOMING 41.8 34.0 50.0 42.1 - 43.6 27.4
               
UNITED STATES 48.3 44.4 52.0 51.7 39.5 41.6 43.6
               
* States with no data shown did not conduct a Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2001.
† A dash indicates that the state sample had too few respondents (fewer than 100) in this category to calculate a stable estimate.
‡ Unweighted data
NA - State did not ask this specific question or data not available
1 Excludes students from Chicago
2 Excludes students from New Orleans
3 Excludes students from New York City
Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

 

  



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Page last reviewed: October 31, 2005
Page last modified: October 31, 2005
Archive Date: April 8, 2008

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