HHS
Issues New Report on Americans' overall Physical Activity Levels
One in Five Adults
Engage in High Level of Activity, But One in Four are Largely Inactive
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Contact: NCHS Press Office
(301) 458-4800
CDC Office of Media Relations (404) 639-3286
E-mail: paoquery@cdc.gov
Physical Activity
Among Adults: United States, 2000. Advance Data No. 333. 23 pp. (PHS)
2003-1250 View/download PDF 788 KB
HHS’
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released a new
report that shows about 1 in 5 American adults engage in a high level of
overall physical activity, including both activity at work and during
leisure time. At the other end of the spectrum, about 1 in 4
American adults engage in little or no regular physical activity.
“Physical
activity – whether it’s walking the dog or simply taking the stairs at
work– is essential to good health,” Secretary Thompson said.
“This study helps give us an even fuller picture of our physical
activity status. It confirms that we need to pay more attention to
getting adequate physical activity and reversing the alarming rise in
obesity that we’ve experienced nationally during the past decade.”
The
report, “Physical Activity Among Adults: United States, 2000,” is the
first HHS report to focus on the amount of physical activity during a
person’s usual daily activities, including work, leisure time, or some
combination of the two. The data comes from about 32,000 interviews
conducted in 2000.
Other
recent studies have focused exclusively on leisure time activity,
including one last year that showed 7 in 10 Americans were not regularly
active during their leisure-time in 1997-98. Today’s new report
for 2000 did not find any significant change in the percentage of adults
who are physically active in their leisure time.
Usual
daily activity, in addition to work, includes commuting, running errands,
performing household chores, or any other activities not performed during
leisure time. The level of physical activity is determined by how
much “moving around and lifting or carrying things” occurs during
these usual daily activities.
Regular
leisure time physical activity consists of exercise, sports, or active
hobbies that cause light sweating or a slight to moderate increase in
breathing or heart rate occurring five or more times per week for at least
30 minutes each time. Regular leisure time physical activity also
could include a vigorous activity that causes heavy sweating or large
increases in breathing or heart rate three or more times a week for at
least 20 minutes each time.
“It
is important for adults to get a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate
physical activity most days of the week to help prevent chronic diseases
and promote health,” CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said.
“Now that spring is here, there are many things that people can get out
and do such as walking, gardening, playing with the kids, or other
activities that they can enjoy on a regular basis.”
The
new report shows that 19 percent of adults engage in a high level of
physical activity (defined as “very active during usual daily activities
and engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity”). In
general, men are more likely than women to engage in a high level of
overall physical activity, and these rates decline with age.
Meanwhile,
another 1 in 4 adults either engage in a low level of activity (i.e.,
moderately active during usual daily activities and completely inactive
during leisure-time) or are never active at all.
The
study reports that those who are more active in their usual daily
activities -- walking or lifting or carrying moderate to heavy loads –-
are more likely to engage in regular physical activity in their leisure
time compared to those who mostly sit, stand, or lift only light loads.
The
report also shows that about one half of all adults usually walk during
their normal daily activities, while more than a third usually sit, and
about 14 percent usually stand. Almost three-quarters of adults lift
or carry light to heavy loads during their usual activities.
The
report also documents physical activity among different population groups.
About 15 percent of Hispanic adults of all races engage in a high level of
physical activity, about the same as black adults (14 percent) and
slightly less than white adults (20 percent).
The
report also indicates several other factors associated with
physical activity:
Education.
About 1 in 4 adults with an advanced degree engage in a high level of
overall physical activity, compared to 1 in 7 of those with less than a
high school diploma.
Income.
Adults with incomes below the poverty level are three times as likely to
be physically inactive as adults in the highest income group.
Marital
Status. Married women are more likely than never married women to engage
in a high level of overall physical activity.
Geography.
Adults in the South are more likely to be physically inactive than adults
in any other region.
The
report is based on approximately 32,000 interviews with adults ages 18 and
over, regardless of employment status from the National Health Interview
Survey, conducted by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
“Physical Activity Among Adults: United States, 2000,” is available at CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics Web
site.
Note: All HHS press
releases, fact sheets, and other press materials are available at Health
and Human Services Web site.