About the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey

In 2012, the National Youth Fitness Survey (NYFS) was conducted in conjunction with the NHANES survey in response to the need for data on physical activity and fitness in children and teens. The NYFS collects data on exercise and the dietary habits of U.S. children ages 3 to 15 through interviews and fitness tests conducted in state-of-the-art mobile centers which cross the country. The fitness tests include standardized measurements of core upper and lower body muscle strength, as well as a measurement of cardiovascular fitness by walking and running on a treadmill.

The information gathered by NHANES is used by public health officials, legislators, and researchers to develop sound health policies, direct and design health programs and services, and expand the health knowledge for the nation. Over the past 50 years, landmark findings from NHANES have profiled the physical growth of children through pediatric growth charts used worldwide, and provided the data to direct the national programs to prevent high cholesterol and hypertension. The addition of the NYFS data will provide information with which to evaluate the health, dietary habits and fitness of our nation’s children.

For more information on NHANES, visit the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey page.