Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors Among High School Students - Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2025.

In 2025, only 39% of U.S. high school students ate fruit at least once per day during the 7 days before the survey.

• Data were drawn from the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school students.
• Fruit consumption was measured as eating fruit ≥1 time per day in the 7 days before the survey.
• Results were examined by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.
• An overall increase in eating fruit ≥1 time per day was observed from 2023 to 2025.

In 2025, 63% of high school students ate vegetables at least once per day during the 7 days before the survey.

• Vegetable consumption was measured as eating vegetables ≥1 time per day in the 7 days before the survey.
• An overall increase in eating vegetables ≥1 time per day was observed from 2023 to 2025.
• Results were analyzed by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.
• Despite the increase, prevalence of this healthy dietary behavior remained low.

Only 27% of high school students ate breakfast daily during the 7 days before the 2025 survey.

• Daily breakfast consumption was defined as eating breakfast on all 7 days before the survey.
• Data were from the 2025 nationally representative YRBS.
• No specific 2-year comparison change was highlighted for breakfast in the abstract.
• This represents one of the lower-prevalence healthy dietary behaviors measured.

In 2025, 30% of high school students had not drunk sugar-sweetened soda or pop and 51% had not drunk sports drinks during the 7 days before the survey.

• Avoidance of sugar-sweetened soda or pop was reported by 30% of students.
• Avoidance of sports drinks was reported by 51% of students.
• These measures reflect consumption patterns in the 7 days before the survey.
• Results were broken down by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.

In 2025, 58% of high school students drank at least 3 glasses per day of plain water during the 7 days before the survey.

• Plain water consumption was defined as drinking ≥3 glasses per day.
• An overall increase in drinking ≥3 glasses per day of plain water was observed from 2023 to 2025.
• This was one of three dietary behaviors showing improvement in the 2023-to-2025 comparison.
• Data were from the 2025 nationally representative YRBS.

In 2025, approximately 25% of high school students met aerobic physical activity guidelines, defined as being physically active for at least 60 minutes per day on all 7 days.

• Aerobic guideline adherence required ≥60 minutes of physical activity per day on all 7 days of the week.
• Data were from the 2025 nationally representative YRBS.
• Results were analyzed by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.
• Only 16% of students met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines simultaneously.

In 2025, 51% of high school students met muscle-strengthening guidelines, defined as exercising to strengthen muscles on at least 3 days per week.

• Muscle-strengthening guideline adherence required exercising to strengthen muscles on ≥3 days per week.
• Only 16% of students met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines.
• Results were examined by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.
• Data were from the 2025 nationally representative YRBS.

In 2025, only 20% of high school students attended physical education classes on all 5 school days, and this prevalence decreased from 2023 to 2025.

• Physical education (PE) attendance on all 5 school days was reported by 20% of students in 2025.
• This was one of the behaviors that showed a decline in the 2-year comparison from 2023 to 2025.
• Data were from the 2025 nationally representative YRBS.
• Results were analyzed by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.

In 2025, 58% of high school students played on at least one sports team during the 12 months before the survey, and sports team participation increased from 2023 to 2025.

• Sports team participation was measured over the 12 months before the survey, a longer recall period than other behaviors.
• Sports team participation was one of the behaviors showing an overall increase from 2023 to 2025.
• This increase occurred alongside a decrease in daily PE class attendance.
• Results were analyzed by sex, race and ethnicity, and grade.

From 2023 to 2025, overall increases were observed for three dietary behaviors: eating fruit ≥1 time per day, eating vegetables ≥1 time per day, and drinking ≥3 glasses per day of plain water.

• The 2-year comparison examined 2023 YRBS data versus 2025 YRBS data.
• Three dietary behaviors improved: fruit consumption, vegetable consumption, and plain water consumption.
• Despite these increases, the prevalence of most healthy dietary behaviors remained low in 2025.
• No additional dietary behaviors were noted as increasing in the abstract.