These disparities are especially troubling among children. The majority of American youth are not getting the recommended amount of physical activity (60 minutes per day), and few states are implementing policy related to nutrition, screening, and physical activity in schools. As of January 2011, only three states (Louisiana, North Carolina and Tennessee) had implemented policies on BMI screening or other weight assessment in schools, requirements for a certain amount or level of physical activity in schools, and nutritional standards for schools that are stronger than the USDA’s. Eighteen states (Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming) had not implemented any of these policies.
Sources and notes: SHADAC analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) data. Two years of BRFSS data were pooled to produce state-level estimates for adults.
Information on state policies were obtained from F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).