Nutritional requirements of the child and teenage athlete.

There has been an explosion in sports participation, especially for women, in the last 35 years mainly because of Title IX. In 2005-2006, nearly 3 million girls and 4.2 million boys participated in high school athletics, and many more participated in club sports and recreational activities. On the other end of the spectrum, the prevalence of obesity in the United States is at an all-time high. Proper nutrition in combination with the appropriate amount of physical activity is of paramount importance for this era of adolescents.