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High School Physical Education Requirements and Youth Body Weight: New Evidence from the YRBS

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  • Joseph J. Sabia
  • Thanh Tam Nguyen
  • Oren Rosenberg

Abstract

Previous research has found that high school physical education (PE) requirements are largely ineffective at reducing youth body weight. However, these studies were forced to rely on cross‐state variation in PE requirements to identify their impacts, raising concerns that estimated policy effects may be confounded by state‐level unobservables. Using data from the State and National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and exploiting recent changes in state high school PE laws, we re‐examine the effect of PE requirements on body weight. Our estimates show that a one‐semester increase in PE requirements is associated with a 10 to 13% increase in minutes per week spent physically active in PE classes, but with no change in net vigorous exercise and little change in youth body weight. We conclude that substitution of in‐school for outside‐of‐school physical activity and small resultant net energy expenditures can explain the absence of body weight effects. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Joseph J. Sabia & Thanh Tam Nguyen & Oren Rosenberg, 2017. "High School Physical Education Requirements and Youth Body Weight: New Evidence from the YRBS," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(10), pages 1291-1306, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:26:y:2017:i:10:p:1291-1306
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.3399
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Steven Bednar & Kathryn Rouse, 2020. "The effect of physical education on children's body weight and human capital: New evidence from the ECLS‐K:2011," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(4), pages 393-405, April.
    4. Chen, Kelly & Phipps, Shelley, 2021. "“Why can't you sit still?”The effect of daily physical activity on childhood inattention/hyperactivity and the educational gender gap," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    5. Brandyn F. Churchill, 2024. "State‐mandated school‐based BMI assessments and self‐reported adolescent health behaviors," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 63-86, January.

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