Dula, MarkTorbert, Carson2020-04-282020-04-282020-04-27http://hdl.handle.net/11558/5085Obesity rates in the United States as well as the rest of world have been on the rise. These rates do not only include adults, but they include children as well. It was the purpose of this study to determine how significant this rise was within the children of Tennessee. Not only were obesity levels observed in this study, but so was the physical activity, screen time, and attendance in Physical Education classes. Research was gathered on the benefits of physical activity on the body as well as effects that obesity has on the body. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) was utilized to gather the data for this study. The YRBSS is a study sent home to students that ask questions about their alcohol use, tobacco use, physical activity, and nutritional intake. The participants in this study were selected by the YRBSS, and it was sent to every county in Tennessee. There was one weighted county from the YRBSS and it was Shelby County. The data that was selected for this study was taken from answers to the surveys that were taken in 2007 and 2017. The data that was utilized for this study was a combination of the male and female answers to the questions. An independent sample t-test was used in order to determine if there was a significant difference in the answers from 2007 and 2017.en-USObesityActivityPhysical EducationThesis