Physical Activity and Nutrition
Updated November 2003
Physical inactivity and unhealthy eating are behaviors that often have an adverse impact on health. Together they are responsible for at least 300,000 preventable deaths each year. Regular physical activity provides short-term benefits, such as alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduces long-term risks for disability and premature death. Despite the proven benefits of being physically active, more than 60 percent of American adults do not engage in levels of physical activity necessary to provide health benefits (see physical activity postcard). Good nutrition also lowers a person's risk for many chronic diseases. However, a considerable gap remains between recommended dietary patterns and what Americans actually eat. Only about one-fourth of U.S. adults eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. ("Physical Activity and Good Nutrition: Essential Elements to Prevent Chronic Diseases and Obesity, CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.")
Publications and Resources |
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 Health Promotion Program State Legislation and Statute Database
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Use this database to find bills and statutes related to physical activity, nutrition, obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke and other health promotion topics. |
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Obesity Roundtable at the 2003 NCSL Annual Meeting |
Three presentations were made at this roundtable. Leslie Robbins, from NCSL's Health Promotion Program, discussed policies related to nutrition, physical activity and obesity; Susan Finn, from the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition, talked about policies supported by the food and beverage industry; and Harold Goldstein, from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, discussed policies supported by the public health community.
 The full document is formatted in PDF. Click here to download Acrobat Reader Software.
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Percentage of Overweight U.S. Children and Teens |
An NCSL postcard charting the obesity epidemic in children and teens from 1963 to 2000. |
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Tobacco, Chronic Disease, Arthritis, Heart Disease and Health Disparities Web Sites |
Various links related to health promotion. |
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National Health Observances Calendar |
A calendar marking the days, weeks and months devoted to increasing awareness of major health concerns. |
Nutrition Publications and Resources |
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Vending Machines and Competitive Foods in Schools |
This LegisBrief, written by the NCSL Adolescent and School Health Program, discusses how schools are supplementing their tight budgets with vending machine and other competitive food sales. Available to NCSL members only. |
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Nutrition and Obesity. An Issue Brief written by NCSL's Health Policy Tracking Service (July 2003 update) |
NCSL members can access the full document and non-members can read a summary that includes information to order this document.
The full document is formatted in PDF. Click here to download Acrobat Reader Software. |
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School Lunch Program: Efforts Needed to Improve Nutrition and Encourage Healthy Eating |
This report from the General Accounting Office reviews how school lunches nationwide are meeting nutrition standards and how schools are encouraging healthy eating as well as what barriers selected schools faced in accomplishing this and what innovative steps they had taken to overcome the barriers. |
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Foods Sold in Competition with USDA School Meal Programs |
This report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reviews the effect that competitive foods (foods of minimal nutritional value) may have on the school meal programs, including information on statutory limits or judicial rulings that may restrict the ability of the Department to regulate these competitive foods. |
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National Consensus Panel on School Nutrition: Recommendations for Competitive Food Standards in California Schools |
The recommendations of a panel of respected state and national experts on the establishment of mandatory minimum standards for elementary and secondary schools, addressing beverages, fat and saturated fat, sugar, portion sizes, and the availability of fruits and vegetables. |
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American Council on Fitness and Nutrition: FAQs on Achieving Balance |
Achieving a healthy balance between daily activity and calorie intake plays a major role in how we look, think and feel. On these pages you will find more information about physical activity and nutrition, the importance of physical education in schools, and several other resources to help achieve a healthy balance in everyday life. |
Physical Activity Publications and Resources |
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Physical Education. An Issue Brief written by NCSL's Health Policy Tracking Service |
NCSL members can access the full document and non-members can read a summary that includes information to order this document.
The full document is formatted in PDF. Click here to download Acrobat Reader Software. |
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NCSL Active Living Web Page |
An NCSL Web page on a program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to increase state legislators awareness of their role in increasing their constituents' opportunities to ride a bicycle or walk in their everyday activities to achieve public health benefits. Includes a link to "Promoting Biking and Walking--The Legislative Role" (accessible to members only). |
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Percentage of Adults Who Reported No Leisure Time Physical Activity, 2000 |
An NCSL postcard describing why physical activity is important in the prevention of chronic diseases and displaying the rate of physical inactivity in adults in the United States. |
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Physical Activity and Walkable Communities |
An NCSL document describing physical inactivity and obesity and what actions the federal government and states are taking to increase walking and bicycling as a part of everyday life. |
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's State-based Physical Activity Program Directory |
A directory of physical activity programs involving state departments of health that includes general profiles and contact information. |
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On Your Feet, Kids |
An article from State Legislatures Magazine about the KidsWalk-to-School program. |
Healthy People 2010 Objectives
Healthy People 2010 is the prevention agenda for the nation. It is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats. Healthy People 2010 offers a simple but powerful idea: provide the objectives in a format that enables diverse groups to combine their efforts and work as a team. It is a road map to better health for all and can be used to improve health by many different individuals and groups like state legislatures, state agencies, communities and professional organizations.
Health People 2010
Physical Activity Objectives |
- Decrease the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity from 40 percent to 20 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adults who engage regularly, preferably daily, in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day from 15 percent to 30 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adults who engage in vigorous physical activity that promotes cardiorespiratory fitness three or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion from 23 percent to 30 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adults who perform physical activities that enhance and maintain muscular strength and endurance from 18 percent to 30 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adults who perform physical activities that enhance and maintain flexibility from 30 percent to 43 percent.
- Increase the proportion of adolescents who engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more of the previous seven days from 27 percent to 35 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adolescents who engage in vigorous physical activity that promotes cardiorespiratory fitness three or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion from 65 percent to 85 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of the nation's public and private schools that require daily physical education for all students in middle and junior high from 17 percent to 25 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of the nation's public and private schools that require daily physical education for all students in senior high from 2 percent to 5 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adolescents who participate in daily school physical education from 27 percent of students in grades nine through 12 to 50 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of adolescents who spend at least 50 percent of school physical education class time being physically active from 38 percent of students in grades nine through 12 to 50 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who view television two or fewer hours per day from 57 percent of people aged 8 to 16 years to 75 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of the nation's public and private schools that provide access to their physical activity spaces and facilities for all people outside of normal school hours.
- Increase the proportion of work sites offering employer-sponsored physical activity and fitness programs to 75 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of trips made by walking by adults aged 18 years and older from 17 percent to 25 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of trips made by walking by children and adolescents aged 5 to 15 years from 31 percent to 50 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of trips made by bicycling by adults aged 18 years and older from 0.6 percent to 2 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of trips made by bicycling by children and adolescents aged 5 to 15 years from 2.4 percent to 5 percent by 2010.
Healthy People 2010 Nutrition Objectives |
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who consume at least two daily servings of fruit from 28 percent to 75 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who consume at least three daily servings of vegetables, with at least one third being dark green or deep yellow vegetables, from 3 percent to 50 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who consume at least six daily servings of grain products, with at least three being whole grains from 7 percent to 50 percent by 2010.
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat from 36 percent to 75 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who consume no more than 30 percent of calories from fat from 33 percent to 75 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who consume 2,400 mg or less of sodium daily from 21 percent to 65 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of people aged 2 years and older who meet dietary recommendations for calcium from 46 percent to 75 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years whose intake of meals and snacks at schools contributes proportionally to good overall dietary quality.
- Increase the proportion of work sites that offer nutrition or weight management classes or counseling from 55 percent of work sites with 50 or more employees to 85 percent in 2010.
- Increase the proportion of physician office visits made by patients with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or hyperlipidemia that include counseling or education related to diet and nutrition from 42 percent to 75 percent in 2010.
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