Statistics

Below are some stats that drive Explore More Nature's mission.  They illustrate the need for a greater interest in living an active lifestyle and how this interest can be nurtured through the promotion of outdoors activities on social media.

Health

  • Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.

  • In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

  • Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

  • Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.

  • Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.

  • Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.  

  • Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

  • Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases.

Social Media & Mobile Devices

  • 88% of American teens ages 13 to 17 have access to a mobile phone of some kind, and a majority of teens (73%) have smartphones.

  • 92% of teens report going online daily.

  • Half of all teens use Instagram.

  • Young adults (ages 18 to 29) are the most likely to use social media – 90% do.

  • YouTube overall, and even YouTube on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S. 

  • More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices. 

Resources

  1. YouTube: 

    • YouTube Statistics (link has been removed by YouTube)

  2. Pew Research Center:

  3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention: