The Health of Middle School Students in France/2014. French data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Eating habits, physical activity, and sedentary behavior

Key findings: More than half of middle school students report eating breakfast on school days, with boys doing so more often than girls, and 6th and 7th graders more often than 8th and 9th graders. Two-thirds of middle school students report eating fruits or vegetables daily, a proportion that declined slightly between 2010 and 2014. According to their reports, more than nine out of ten middle school students spend more than two hours a day in front of a screen, exceeding the maximum recommended limits for this age group. These habits have increased significantly since 2010, regardless of gender. Only 13.1% of middle school students report engaging in one hour of moderate physical activity daily, a duration corresponding to the internationally recommended minimum for adolescents. The proportion of students who participate in sports very regularly (four to seven times a week) increased overall between 2010 and 2014, but it remains much higher for boys (42.6% vs. 17.1% in 2010 and 44.6% vs. 23.2% in 2014).

Author(s): Genolini Jean-Paul, Ehlinger Virginie, Escalon Hélène, Godeau Emmanuelle

Publishing year: 2016

Pages: 6 p.

Ref: W-0138-001-1601

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