High School Students Are Exercising Less, Federal Study Finds

High school students are apparently exercising less than in the past, and more than a third say they watch television or play video games three or more hours every school day, a federal study has found.

More than one-third of high school students--37 percent--say they exercise vigorously and regularly, according to researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But about an equal proportion--35 percent--spend at least three hours daily in front of the television or playing video games.

A 1984 national survey found that 61.7 percent of students in grades 10 through 12 exercised hard and regularly--20 or more minutes three or more days a week. Though not exactly comparable, the figures indicate an overall decline,...