Lifestyle: young French bad students

French students do not consume enough fruits and vegetables and do not get enough exercise, according to the study Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) presented to the press in Paris.
The HBSC is a health questionnaire submitted every four years for students aged 11, 13 and 15 years in Europe and North America.

Respondents' answers on eating habits and time spent on the exercise reveal "that there is still progress to be made," said Dr. Emmanuelle Godeau, main coordinator of the investigation in France, during the presentation of results to the press.

Thus, slightly more than one in three do not take breakfast every day. The 15 year olds are more likely (43.8%) than those of 11 years (28%) to overlook this meal.

In addition, "less than 20% of young people eat fruit and vegetables every day, despite the preventive messages repeated," note the investigators.

In contrast, 28.5% of 11-15 year olds swallow sweets daily and 29% of sugary drinks. "This is far from the recommendations of the National Health and Nutrition Plan," lamented Dr. Emmanuelle Godeau.

"Less than one in five teens said a level of physical activity consistent with current international recommendations (having a physical activity of at least moderate intensity one hour per day at least five days per week)," the authors still fall . The girls are only 12% to meet these requirements.

A 11-year-old French children are the worst performers of the 35 countries of the HSBC investigation of physical exertion: they are less likely to perform as many activities as the experts advise. As for the older 13 and 15, they are second to last in the class.

"Overall, these results suggest that much work remains to be done to increase the practice of physical activity in order to maximize the potential effects on the health and well-being," say the investigators.

Meanwhile, the young students are questioning a lot about their body image, the study reveals. Less than one in two thought to be "about the right weight" and many undertake schemes. Thus, at age 11, more than one in three girls on a diet or think I need