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PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Physical Activity Among Adolescents

Why Is This Important?

According to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 22.1 percent of all Utah public high school students were at an unhealthy weight and 9.8 percent were obese. Since diet and physical activity have been shown to help reduce weight and also to maintain weight, monitoring physical activity levels in adolescents is important. The recommendation based on the most current (as of November 2017) HHS Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is: Children and adolescents should have 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily. * __Aerobic__: Most of the 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week. * __Muscle-strengthening__: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week. * __Bone-strengthening__: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.

Recommended Physical Activity by Sex, Utah Youth Grades 9-12, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2021

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Data Source

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)

How Are We Doing?

In 2019, 14.0 percent of girls and 28.0 percent of boys in Utah high schools reported getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity on all 7 days of the week. From the 2019 Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA) survey, adolescents in grades 8, 10, and 12 in Central Utah LHD (25.8%), and Southeast LHD (22.4%) had higher rates of getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day than the state rate (19.0%).

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Department of Health's, Healthy Environments Active Living program plays a key role in improving the health of residents in the state of Utah. The program was formed in July 2013 (as EPICC), through a new funding opportunity from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that allowed for the merging of three previously existing programs: the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program, the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, and the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Program, as well as the addition of a school health program. The Healthy Environments Active Living Program was recently restructured as part of this strategic planning process and the new program model focuses on working together with staff and partners to address the social determinants of health while advancing health equity and increasing policy, systems and environment changes. HEAL works: In Schools:[[br]] 1) Schools are encouraged to adopt the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program. This framework encourages students to be physically active for 60 minutes a day through school, home, and community activities.[[br]] 2) Height and weight trends are being tracked in a sample of elementary students to monitor Utah students.[[br]] 3) Action for Healthy Kids brings partners together to improve nutrition and physical activity environments in Utah's schools by implementing the school-based state plan strategies, working with local school boards to improve or develop policies for nutritious foods in schools. This includes recommendations for healthy vending options. In Worksites:[[br]] 1) The Utah Council for Worksite Health Promotion recognizes businesses that offer employee fitness and health promotion programs.[[br]] 2) HEAL offers a training on developing worksite wellness programs called Work@Health. HEAL also partners with local health departments to encourage worksites to complete the CDC Scorecard and participate in yearly health risk assessment for their employees. HEAL provides toolkits and other resources for employers interested in implementing wellness programs through the [http://heal.health.utah.gov heal.health.utah.gov] website: [https://heal.health.utah.gov/worksite-wellness/] In communities:[[br]] HEAL receives federal funding to partner with worksites and community-based organizations to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in community settings and worksites. HEAlL also partners with LHDs to work with cities and/or counties within their jurisdictions to create a built environment that encourages physical activity. In Healthcare:[[br]] 1) HEAL works with health care systems to establish community clinical linkages to support individuals at risk for or diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension to engage in lifestyle change programs such as chronic disease self-management and diabetes prevention programs. In Childcare:[[br]] 1) Ten local health departments statewide have implemented the TOP Star program, which aims to improve the nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding environments and achieve best practice in child care centers and homes.[[br]] 2) HEAL works with state and local partners through the Childcare Obesity Prevention workgroup to implement policy and systems changes in early care and education across agencies statewide.

Healthy People Objective: Increase the proportion of adolescents who meet current Federal physical activity guidelines for aerobic physical activity and for muscle-strengthening activity

U.S. Target: Not applicable, see subobjectives in this category

Date Indicator Content Last Updated: 10/14/2022


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The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.state.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 28 March 2024 17:00:22 from Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.state.gov ".

Content updated: Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:43:08 MST