| Days | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Moderate Exercise | 565 (30.4%) | 288 (15.5%) | 313 (16.8%) | 280 (15.1%) | 157 (8.4%) | 150 (8.1%) | 34 (1.8%) | 73 (3.9%) |
| Strength Training | 898 (48.4%) | 325 (17.5%) | 251 (13.5%) | 150 (8.1%) | 101 (5.4%) | 94 (5.1%) | 23 (1.2%) | 14 (0.8%) |
| Vigorous Training | 1066 (57.6%) | 197 (10.6%) | 197 (10.6%) | 145 (7.8%) | 87 (4.7%) | 110 (5.9%) | 34 (1.8%) | 16 (0.9%) |
Physical Activity
Students were asked to select how many days in the last week they had done any of the following exercise types: moderate, vigorous, or strength training exercises.1
As a reminder, students had the option to select “Prefer not to answer” for all questions, and these responses were set as missing values. In addition, 186 (8.8%) students did not finish the survey. The n reporting refers to the total number of non-missing responses, while the percent reporting reflects the percent of non-missing responses.
Physical Activity Type
Survey Questions: On how many of the past 7 days did you: (Please mark the appropriate column for each row)
Do moderate-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise (caused a noticeable increase in heart rate, such as brisk walk) for at least 30 minutes? (n=1860, 88% of 2110 reporting)
How often did you do 8-10 strength training exercises (such as resistance weight machines) for at least 8 repetitions each? (n=1852, 88% of 2110 reporting)
How often did you do vigorous-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise (caused large increases in breathing or heart rate, such as jogging) for at least 20 minutes? (n=1852, 88% of 2110 reporting)
Additional Notes: For each exercise type, students had the option to select anywhere from zero days per week to seven days per week. In the table, percentages are calculated across rows.
Summary: The majority of students reported doing moderate-intensity exercises at least once in the past seven days, and 565 (30.4%) reported doing this zero times. About half the students reported doing strength training exercises at least once in the past 7 days, and 898 (48.4%) reported doing this zero times. Less than half of the students reported doing vigorous-intensity cardio or aerobic exercises at least once in the past 7 days, and 1066 (57.6%) reported doing this zero times.
Weekly Physical Activity
Survey Questions: See Questions Above
Additional Notes: This variable was created using the variables in the Physical Activity Type section. Anyone who performed any type of weekly physical activity (moderate-intensity, strength training, or vigorous-intensity) for one or more days was set to “Yes,” and anyone who performed no physical activity per week was set to “No.”
Summary: A total of 1330 (72.3%) students performed any type of physical activity at least once per week, while 509 (27.7%) performed no weekly physical activity.
Footnotes:
- These questions were developed based on the Surgeon General’s physical activity guidelines for adults who recommend: 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise, 75 minutes to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. They also recommend strength-training activities on 2 or more days a week.
