TEENAGERS AND THEIR EATING HABITS

This blog includes statistics collected as part of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2001. The data reveals that many high school students are not as healthy as they could be. Only 21 percent of the
students surveyed ate the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Although four out of five eat breakfast regularly—which Is a good thing—about 20 percent skip breakfast.

Nearly 8 percent of female and 3 percent of male high school students admitted to vomiting or taking laxatives to lose weight or avoid gaining weight. Also, 28.3 percent claimed to have experienced depression, a critical risk factor for developing an eating disorder.