Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : Students Exercising Less, U.S. Report Says

Fewer American students are taking high school physical education than during the mid-1980s, and only a fraction say they regularly exercise in school, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta reported. In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the federal health agency said a nationwide survey of 11,631 students in grades 9 to 12 found that only 48% of American high school students were enrolled in physical education classes last year, compared with 65% in 1984. In addition, only a third of those who attended daily physical education classes said they exercised for up to 20 minutes three times a week--the minimum recommended standard for cardiovascular fitness--and 23.4% said they never exercise as much as 20 minutes in any class period.