American Adults Remain Inactive

Three out of four adults in the United States do not get enough physical activity, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 1998, 29 percent of adults reported no physical activity, and only 25 percent achieved recommended activity levels—statistics that have changed very little since 1990.

Health officials urge at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five times a week, which can be taken in 10-minute increments, or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times a week. Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, gardening, bowling, painting, and housework. Vigorous activity means aerobic exercise, including biking, hiking, mowing the lawn, climbing stairs, and running.

Percentage of persons reporting level of leisure-time physical activity, by year—Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 1990-1998.

“It is surprising that the trends did not change at all considering all the efforts at the Federal and state levels to increase physical activity in the 1990s,” comments Sandra Ham, a statistician with CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Analysts cite sedentary jobs, numerous cable channels, and the preference for driving rather than walking or biking for transportation as factors contributing to the lack of physical activity.

According to Ham, most people view exercise as inconvenient. “It doesn’t have to be hard work. A lot of people don’t realize that moderate lifestyle activities—being physically active in general, rather than setting aside time—are really what’s important.” Moderate physical activity results in substantial health benefits, including reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Teaching good exercise habits to children and adolescents could influence U.S. attitudes toward physical activity, suggests Michael Weitekamp, M.D., medical director of Pennsylvania State University’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “We’ve got a whole generation that wasn’t really active as children,” he contends. “If you could ingrain good habits in people in their younger years, you would have a better chance of them carrying that forward.”

The report is based on an analysis of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a random telephone survey by health officials in 43 states and the District of Columbia.

The study was published in CDC’s March 9, 2001 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), and is available on the web at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5009a3.htm. s