Updated October 2022

Author: Physical Activity and Nutrition Program, Vermont Department of Health

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recommend that children and adolescents aged 6-17 years should have 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day. The percent of Vermont adolescents grades 9-12 who did not participate in physical activity for at least 60 minutes on any day in the past 7 days, is 14%. The Healthy Vermonters 2020 target is 12% of adolescents.

Today, computers and social media have decreased the amount of time children move and play. Participation in physical activity decreases with age, and the decline is greater in girls than boys. The rural nature of Vermont and its inadequate “active transportation” infrastructure (i.e. incomplete sidewalks, lack of bicycle facilities and public transit) further adds to youth (and adults) spending additional time sitting in cars to get to where they need or want to go.

To counter this, the Vermont Department of Health has worked with the Agency of Education and schools to increase the amount of physical activity provided in schools each day. Schools are now required to provide at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day for all students before, during or after school.

This indicator was added to Healthy Vermonters 2020 in 2016 in recognition that not meeting physical activity recommendations better identifies risk of overweight and obesity than a previous indicator (screen time). In general, Health Vermonters 2020 (the State Health Assessment) documents the health status of Vermonters and the population health indicators and goals that will guide the work of public health through 2020. Click here for more information.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence improves strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Evidence also shows that students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, cognitive performance and classroom behaviors.

A sedentary lifestyle is recognized as a major risk factor for obesity and cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents is a major public health concern, and weight-related health problems are being diagnosed earlier in childhood.

• Vermont Department of Health, Offices of Local Health guides schools and supervisory unions in developing school wellness policies, which include physical activity policies.
• Vermont Agency of Education included the requirement that schools provide 30 minutes of physical activity per day to students in their Educational Quality Standards. They also partnered with Vermont Department of Health and Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets to promote school wellness policy implementation.
• Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets supports development of school wellness policies as well as Farm to School programs which often include school gardens that provide the opportunity for physical activity through gardening.
• Vermont Schools for developing and implementing wellness policies that support physical activity during the school day.
• Early childcare providers and youth serving agencies for providing physical activity opportunities for children and youth in their care.
• Society of Health and Physical Educators of Vermont (SHAPE VT) provides professional development and technical assistance to teachers regarding physical activity in the classroom.
• Vermont Safe Routes to School provides support to communities organizing walk and bike to school days or weeks.
• Vermont School Board Association provides guidance on school wellness policies to school boards.
• Vermont Principals’ Association supports school administrators in providing physical activity in schools.
• Vermont Superintendents Association supports superintendents in leading schools in their supervisory union to provide physical activity in schools.
• Municipal Parks and Recreation provides safe parks and multiple recreation opportunities for children and youth.

Schools play a critical role in improving the physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents. Schools can create environments supportive of students’ efforts to be active by implementing policies and practices that support regular physical activity and by providing opportunities for students to learn about and practice these behaviors. However, to have the most positive impact on adolescent health, government agencies, community organizations, schools, and other community members must work together in a comprehensive approach.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth, wide implementation of “multi-component school-based programs” is recommended. These types of programs provide enhanced physical education (PE) (e.g., increased lesson time, delivery by well-trained specialists, and instructional practices that provide substantial moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), as well as classroom activity breaks, activity sessions before and/or after school, and active transportation to school.

The Vermont Department of Health worked with the Agency of Education, Agency of Agriculture and others, to create and revise the Vermont School Wellness Policy Guidelines to support schools in development and implementation of wellness policies. Additionally, funding opportunities and technical assistance are provided through the Office of Local Health staff, to assist schools with developing and implementing policies that include improving opportunities for students to be physically active before, during, and after school.

The way land is used in a community (the “built environment”) is important because this can offer the potential to increase activity for all youth, not only those who elect to participate in specific programs or activities, which may be affected by socioeconomic factors. Multiple stakeholders play an important role in promoting physical activity in this setting, including those in transportation, town and regional planning, and public safety, whose primary mission is not physical activity promotion.

Local school wellness policies (i.e., wellness policies) provide an opportunity to create and support a healthy school environment, promote student health, and reduce childhood obesity. Because they are required for all school districts participating in the federal Child Nutrition Programs, children across Vermont will be reached through implementation of these policies.

The Vermont Department of Health continues to promote physical activity during the school day through training and technical assistance for teachers on how to integrate physical activity into their curricula.

The Vermont Department of Health also collaborates with the state and local Safe Routes to School program, helping to improve the “built environment” around schools to support safe walking and biking to and from school.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a paper survey administered in Vermont middle and high schools every two years since 1993. The survey is sponsored by the Department of Health's Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs, and the Department of Education's Coordinated School Health Programs and the CDC. The YRBS measures the prevalence of behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disease, and injury among youth. Vermont surveys over 30,000 students at each administration. Weighted data is compiled to generate a representative state sample, and local data is used by schools, supervisory unions, health programs and other local organizations. The YRBS is completed in over 40 other states and there is a national weighted sample for comparison. Data are updated as it becomes available and timing is based on when results from the survey are released.

Prevalence and percentages are calculated by using descriptive statistical procedures using software such as SPSS, SAS, and/or SUDAAN. These statistics describe the proportion of individuals with a given trait in the population during a specified period of time.

Note that prior to 2013, statewide estimates were generated by weighting repossess from a representative sample of schools. In 2013, the methodology was changed and all student responses were used in creating statewide estimates, allowing for more accurate reporting. 2011 data were recalculated in the same way as 2013 data in order to improve comparisons.