S2951 Interventions to Improve Diet and Physical Fitness in High School Students

Introduction: Healthy habits established early on can shape lifelong well-being. When it comes to high school students, there are often numerous barriers to maintaining proper nutrition and regular exercise. Once barriers are identified, specific interventions can be developed to directly address each obstacle. Methods: High school students in Texas were given a cross-sectional voluntary survey to complete (n = 206). Students were asked if certain factors would help them to eat healthier or be more physically active. Respondents answered “Yes,” “No,” or “I don’t know” for each potential factor. Calculations were done on the proportion of students reporting each barrier. Results: Related to eating, the most commonly reported barrier was taste (152/206, 74%). In addition, key barriers included cost (136/206, 66%) and parental influence (136/206, 66). Availability was also relevant, as 99/206 (48%) noted they would eat healthier if such foods were more readily available in stores. Social influences were not as impactful, with 70/206 (34%) indicating that having friends who liked healthy foods would help, and only 31/206 (15%) citing exposure to healthy foods in media (e.g., television commercials) as a motivator. For physical activity, the main barrier was time (155/206, 75). Women reported time slightly more as a barrier (89/114, 78%) compared to men (66/92, 72%). Social factors were also common: about 139/206 (67%) said they would be more active if they had more fun, and 139/206 (67%) if they had more people to be active with. Access to facilities and opportunities to be active also mattered; 107/206 (52%) felt like they needed more parks/facilities, and 85/206 (41%) wanted more teams or clubs to join. Women were also more likely to cite “need for more fun” (82/114, 72%) compared to men (57/92, 62%). Conclusion: Results from the surveys indicate that students have a clear understanding of what would help them lead healthier lives: making healthy choices more appealing, affordable, and convenient. Main deterrents to physical activity were busy schedules and a lack of enjoyment in exercise. These findings suggest that pediatric health promotion efforts should go beyond education alone. Strategies should include improving the taste appeal of healthy foods—such as through engaging recipes or better school meal preparation, reducing cost barriers, involving families, and creating fun, social opportunities for physical activity. Addressing these common barriers.