A new study to be published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association shows that as American kids enter their teen years, their physical activity drops. According to the study, 90% of 9-year-olds get a few hours of physical activity on most days, and less than 3% of 15-year-olds do. The study also found that less than one third of 15-year-olds even get the 1 hour moderate-to-vigorous exercise minimum recommended by the government. Read an article about the study here.

The lead author of the study said that possible reasons for the decline in physical activity could be because of schools not doing enough recess/gym classes and increases in use of video games and computers.

I think the take-home message with this study is to help kids get used to being active from a young age and help them continue to do so as they enter into their teen years. Kids that are involved with sports activities probably get enough activity but not all kids/teens enjoy sports. Help them be active in other ways -by walking, biking, swimming, etc.

Physical activity can play a huge role in health. Be helping kids/teens to stay active during those critical years, they will hopefully continue throughout their lives.