| Days | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Moderate Exercise | 333 (30.4%) | 169 (15.4%) | 161 (14.7%) | 173 (15.8%) | 99 (9.0%) | 99 (9.0%) | 25 (2.3%) | 37 (3.4%) |
| Strength Training | 524 (47.9%) | 184 (16.8%) | 144 (13.2%) | 90 (8.2%) | 63 (5.8%) | 68 (6.2%) | 15 (1.4%) | 7 (0.6%) |
| Vigorous Training | 616 (56.3%) | 110 (10.1%) | 109 (10.0%) | 87 (8.0%) | 60 (5.5%) | 79 (7.2%) | 24 (2.2%) | 9 (0.8%) |
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
See Information on Missing Data
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=1096, 89% of 1238 reporting)
How often did you do 8-10 strength training exercises (such as resistance weight machines) for at least 8 repetitions each? (n=1094, 88% of 1238 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=1094, 88% of 1238 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 333 (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 524 (47.9%) 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 616 (56.3%) 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 784 (72.1%) students performed any type of physical activity at least once per week, while 303 (27.9%) 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.
