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A Report of the Surgeon General
Physical Activity and Health
Executive Summary
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion
The Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and
Sports
Message from Donna E. Shalala
Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States has led the world
in understanding and promoting the benefits of physical
activity. In the 1950s, we launched the first national
effort to encourage young Americans to be physically
active, with a strong emphasis on participation in team
sports. In the 1970s, we embarked on a national effort
to educate Americans about the cardiovascular benefits
of vigorous activity, such as running and playing basketball.
And in the 1980s and 1990s, we made breakthrough findings
about the health benefits of moderate-intensity activities,
such as walking, gardening, and dancing.
Now, with the publication of this
first Surgeon Generals report on physical activity
and health, which I commissioned in 1994, we are poised
to take another bold step forward. This landmark review
of the research on physical activity and healththe
most comprehensive everhas the potential to catalyze
a new physical activity and fitness movement in the
United States. It is a work of real significance, on
par with the Surgeon Generals historic first report
on smoking and health published in 1964.
This report is a passport to good
health for all Americans. Its key finding is that people
of all ages can improve the quality of their lives through
a lifelong practice of moderate physical activity. You
dont have to be training for the Boston Marathon
to derive real health benefits from physical activity.
A regular, preferably daily regimen of at least 3045
minutes of brisk walking, bicycling, or even working
around the house or yard will reduce your risks of developing
coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer,
and diabetes. And if youre already doing that,
you should consider picking up the pace: this report
says that people who are already physically active will
benefit even more by increasing the intensity or duration
of their activity.
This watershed report comes not a
moment too soon. We have found that 60 percentwell
over halfof Americans are not regularly active.
Worse yet, 25 percent of Americans are not active at
all. For young peoplethe future of our countryphysical
activity declines dramatically during adolescence. These
are dangerous trends. We need to turn them around quickly,
for the health of our citizens and our country.
We will do so only with a massive
national commitmentbeginning now, on the eve of
the Centennial Olympic Games, with a true fitness Dream
Team drawing on the many forms of leadership that make
up our great democratic society. Families need to weave
physical activity into the fabric of their daily lives.
Health professionals, in addition to being role models
for healthy behaviors, need to encourage their patients
to get out of their chairs and start fitness programs
tailored to their individual needs. Businesses need
to learn from what has worked in the past and promote
worksite fitness, an easy option for workers. Community
leaders need to reexamine whether enough resources have
been devoted to the maintenance of parks, playgrounds,
community centers, and physical education. Schools and
universities need to reintroduce daily, quality physical
activity as a key component of a comprehensive education.
And the media and entertainment industries need to use
their vast creative abilities to show all Americans
that physical activity is healthful and funin
other words, that it is attractive, maybe even glamorous!
We Americans always find the will
to change when change is needed. I believe we can team
up to create a new physical activity movement in this
country. In doing so, we will save precious resources,
precious futures, and precious lives. The time for actionand
activityis now.
Foreword
This first Surgeon Generals
report on physical activity is being released on the
eve of the Centennial Olympic Gamesthe premiere
event showcasing the worlds greatest athletes.
It is fitting that the games are being held in Atlanta,
Georgia, home of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), the lead federal agency in preparing
this report. The games 100-year celebration also
coincides with the CDCs landmark 50th year and
with the 40th anniversary of the Presidents Council
on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), the CDCs
partner in developing this report. Because physical
activity is a widely achievable means to a healthier
life, this report directly supports the CDCs missionto
promote health and quality of life by preventing and
controlling disease, injury, and disability. Also clear
is the link to the PCPFS; originally established as
part of a national campaign to help shape up Americas
younger generation, the Council continues today to promote
physical activity, fitness, and sports for Americans
of all ages.
The Olympic Games represent the summit
of athletic achievement. The Paralympics, an international
competition that will occur later this summer in Atlanta,
represents the peak of athletic accomplishment for athletes
with disabilities. Few of us will approach these levels
of performance in our own physical endeavors. The good
news in this report is that we do not have to scale
Olympian heights to achieve significant health benefits.
We can improve the quality of our lives through a lifelong
practice of moderate amounts of regular physical activity
of moderate or vigorous intensity. An active lifestyle
is available to all.
Many Americans may be surprised at
the extent and strength of the evidence linking physical
activity to numerous health improvements. Most significantly,
regular physical activity greatly reduces the risk of
dying from coronary heart disease, the leading cause
of death in the United States. Physical activity also
reduces the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension,
and colon cancer; enhances mental health; fosters healthy
muscles, bones and joints; and helps maintain function
and preserve independence in older adults.
The evidence about what helps people
incorporate physical activity into their lives is less
clear-cut. We do know that effective strategies and
policies have taken place in settings as diverse as
physical education classes in schools, health promotion
programs at worksites, and one-on-one counseling by
health care providers. However, more needs to be learned
about what helps individuals change their physical activity
habits and how changes in community environments, policies,
and social norms might support that process.
Support is greatly needed if physical
activity is to be increased in a society as technologically
advanced as ours. Most Americans today are spared the
burden of excessive physical labor. Indeed, few occupations
today require significant physical activity, and most
people use motorized transportation to get to work and
to perform routine errands and tasks. Even leisure time
is increasingly filled with sedentary behaviors, such
as watching television, surfing the Internet,
and playing video games.
Increasing physical activity is a
formidable public health challenge that we must hasten
to meet. The stakes are high, and the potential rewards
are momentous: preventing premature death, unnecessary
illness, and disability; controlling health care costs;
and maintaining a high quality of life into old age.
David Satcher,
M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention |
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Philip R.
Lee, M.D.
Assistant Secretary
for Health |
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Florence Griffith
Joyner
Tom McMillen
Co-Chairs Presidents Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports |
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Preface
from the Surgeon General
U.S. Public Health Service
I am pleased to present the first
report of the Surgeon General on physical activity and
health. For more than a century, the Surgeon General
of the Public Health Service has focused the nations
attention on important public health issues. Reports
from Surgeons General on the adverse health consequences
of smoking triggered nationwide efforts to prevent tobacco
use. Reports on nutrition, violence, and HIV/AIDSto
name but a fewhave heightened Americas awareness
of important public health issues and have spawned major
public health initiatives. This new report, which is
a comprehensive review of the available scientific evidence
about the relationship between physical activity and
health status, follows in this notable tradition.
Scientists and doctors have known
for years that substantial benefits can be gained from
regular physical activity. The expanding and strengthening
evidence on the relationship between physical activity
and health necessitates the focus this report brings
to this important public health challenge. Although
the science of physical activity is a complex and still-developing
field, we have today strong evidence to indicate that
regular physical activity will provide clear and substantial
health gains. In this sense, the report is more than
a summary of the scienceit is a national call
to action.
We must get serious about improving
the health of the nation by affirming our commitment
to healthy physical activity on all levels: personal,
family, community, organizational, and national. Because
physical activity is so directly related to preventing
disease and premature death and to maintaining a high
quality of life, we must accord it the same level of
attention that we give other important public health
practices that affect the entire nation. Physical activity
thus joins the front ranks of essential health objectives,
such as sound nutrition, the use of seat belts, and
the prevention of adverse health effects of tobacco.
The time for this emphasis is both
opportune and pressing. As this report makes clear,
current levels of physical activity among Americans
remain low, and we are losing ground in some areas.
The good news in the report is that people can benefit
from even moderate levels of physical activity. The
public health implications of this good news are vast:
the tremendous health gains that could be realized with
even partial success at improving physical activity
among the American people compel us to make a commitment
and take action. With innovation, dedication, partnering,
and a long-term plan, we should be able to improve the
health and well-being of our people.
This report is not the final word.
More work will need to be done so that we can determine
the most effective ways to motivate all Americans to
participate in a level of physical activity that can
benefit their health and well-being. The challenge that
lies ahead is formidable but worthwhile. I strongly
encourage all Americans to join us in this effort.
Audrey F. Manley, M.D., M.P.H.
Surgeon General (Acting)
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION, SUMMARY,
AND CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS
Contents
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION, SUMMARY,
AND CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS
Introduction
This is the first Surgeon Generals
report to address physical activity and health. The
main message of this report is that Americans can substantially
improve their health and quality of life by including
moderate amounts of physical activity in their daily
lives. Health benefits from physical activity are thus
achievable for most Americans, including those who may
dislike vigorous exercise and those who may have been
previously discouraged by the difficulty of adhering
to a program of vigorous exercise. For those who are
already achieving regular moderate amounts of activity,
additional benefits can be gained by further increases
in activity level.
This report grew out of an emerging
consensus among epidemiologists, experts in exercise
science, and health professionals that physical activity
need not be of vigorous intensity for it to improve
health. Moreover, health benefits appear to be proportional
to amount of activity; thus, every increase in activity
adds some benefit. Emphasizing the amount rather than
the intensity of physical activity offers more options
for people to select from in incorporating physical
activity into their daily lives. Thus, a moderate amount
of activity can be obtained in a 30-minute brisk walk,
30 minutes of lawn mowing or raking leaves, a 15-minute
run, or 45 minutes of playing volleyball, and these
activities can be varied from day to day. It is hoped
that this different emphasis on moderate amounts of
activity, and the flexibility to vary activities according
to personal preference and life circumstances, will
encourage more people to make physical activity a regular
and sustainable part of their lives.
The information in this report summarizes
a diverse literature from the fields of epidemiology,
exercise physiology, medicine, and the behavioral sciences.
The report highlights what is known about physical activity
and health, as well as what is being learned about promoting
physical activity among adults and young people.
Development
of the Report
In July 1994, the Office of the Surgeon
General authorized the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to serve as lead agency for preparing
the first Surgeon Generals report on physical
activity and health. The CDC was joined in this effort
by the Presidents Council on Physical Fitness
and Sports (PCPFS) as a collaborative partner representing
the Office of the Surgeon General. Because of the wide
interest in the health effects of physical activity,
the report was planned collaboratively with representatives
from the Office of the Surgeon General, the Office of
Public Health and Science (Office of the Secretary),
the Office of Disease Prevention (National Institutes
of Health [NIH]), and the following institutes from
the NIH: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute;
the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development;
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases; and the National Institute of Arthritis
and Muscu-loskeletal and Skin Diseases. CDCs nonfederal
partnersincluding the American Alliance for Health,
Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance; the American
College of Sports Medicine; and the Ameri-can Heart
Associationprovided consultation throughout the
development process.
The major purpose of this report is
to summarize the existing literature on the role of
physical activity in preventing disease and on the status
of interventions to increase physical activity. Any
report on a topic this broad must restrict its scope
to keep its message clear. This report focuses on disease
prevention and therefore does not include the considerable
body of evidence on the benefits of physical activity
for treatment or rehabilitation after disease has developed.
This report concentrates on endurance-type physical
activity (activity involving repeated use of large muscles,
such as in walking or bicycling) because the health
benefits of this type of activity have been extensively
studied. The importance of resistance exercise (to increase
muscle strength, such as by lifting weights) is increasingly
being recognized as a means to preserve and enhance
muscular strength and endurance and to prevent falls
and improve mobility in the elderly. Some promising
findings on resistance exercise are presented here,
but a comprehensive review of resistance training is
beyond the scope of this report.In addition, are view
of the special concerns regarding physical activity
for pregnant women and for people with disabilities
is not undertaken here, although these important topics
deserve more research and attention.
Finally, physical activity is only
one of many everyday behaviors that affect health. In
particular, nutritional habits are linked to some of
the same aspects of health as physical activity, and
the two may be related lifestyle characteristics. This
report deals solely with physical activity; a Surgeon
Generals Report on Nutrition and Health was published
in 1988.
Chapters 2 through 6 of this report
address distinct areas of the current understanding
of physical activity and health. Chapter 2 offers a
historical perspective: after outlining the history
of belief and knowledge about physical activity and
health, the chapter reviews the evolution and content
of physical activity recommendations. Chapter 3 describes
the physiologic responses to physical activityboth
the immediate effects of a single episode of activity
and the long-term adaptations to a regular pattern of
activity. The evidence that physical activity reduces
the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases is presented
in Chapter 4. Data on patterns and trends of physical
activity in the U.S. population are the focus of Chapter
5. Lastly, Chapter 6 examines efforts to increase physical
activity and reviews ideas currently being proposed
for policy and environmental initiatives.
Major
Conclusions
- People of all ages, both male and female, benefit
from regular physical activity.
- Significant health benefits can be obtained by including
a moderate amount of physical activity (e.g., 30 minutes
of brisk walking or raking leaves, 15 minutes of running,
or 45 minutes of playing volleyball) on most, if not
all, days of the week. Through a modest increase in
daily activity, most Americans can improve their health
and quality of life.
- Additional health benefits can be gained through
greater amounts of physical activity. People who can
maintain a regular regimen of activity that is of
longer duration or of more vigorous intensity are
likely to derive greater benefit.
- Physical activity reduces the risk of premature
mortality in general, and of coronary heart disease,
hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes mellitus
in particular. Physical activity also improves mental
health and is important for the health of muscles,
bones, and joints.
- More than 60 percent of American adults are not
regularly physically active. In fact, 25 percent of
all adults are not active at all.
- Nearly half of American youths 1221 years
of age are not vigorously active on a regular basis.
Moreover, physical activity declines dramatically
during adolescence.
- Daily enrollment in physical education classes has
declined among high school students from 42 percent
in 1991 to 25 percent in 1995.
- Research on understanding and promoting physical
activity is at an early stage, but some interventions
to promote physical activity through schools, worksites,
and health care settings have been evaluated and found
to be successful.
Summary
The benefits of physical activity
have been extolled throughout western history, but it
was not until the second half of this century that scientific
evidence supporting these beliefs began to accumulate.
By the 1970s, enough information was available about
the beneficial effects of vigorous exercise on cardiorespi-ratory
fitness that the American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM), the American Heart Association (AHA), and other
national organizations began issuing physical activity
recommendations to the public. These recommendations
generally focused on car-diorespiratory endurance and
specified sustained periods of vigorous physical activity
involving large muscle groups and lasting at least 20
minutes on 3 or more days per week. As understanding
of the benefits of less vigorous activity grew, recommendations
followed suit. During the past few years, the ACSM,
the CDC, the AHA, the PCPFS, and the NIH have all recommended
regular, moderate-intensity physical activity as an
option for those who get little or no exercise. The
Healthy People 2000 goals for the nations
health have recognized the importance of physical activity
and have included physical activity goals. The 1995
Dietary Guidelines for Americans , the basis
of the federal governments nutrition-related programs,
included physical activity guidance to maintain and
improve weight30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity
physical activity on all, or most, days of the week.
Underpinning such recommendations
is a growing understanding of how physical activity
affects physiologic function. The body responds to physical
activity in ways that have important positive effects
on musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, and
endocrine systems. These changes are consistent with
a number of health benefits, including a reduced risk
of premature mortality and reduced risks of coronary
heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes
mellitus. Regular participation in physical activity
also appears to reduce depression and anxiety, improve
mood, and enhance ability to perform daily tasks throughout
the life span.
The risks associated with physical
activity must also be considered. The most common health
problems that have been associated with physical activity
are musculoskeletal injuries, which can occur with excessive
amounts of activity or with suddenly beginning an activity
for which the body is not conditioned. Much more serious
associated health problems (i.e., myocardial infarction,
sudden death) are also much rarer, occurring primarily
among sedentary people with advanced atherosclerotic
disease who engage in strenuous activity to which they
areunaccustomed.Sedentarypeople,especiallythose with
preexisting health conditions, who wish to increase
their physical activity should therefore gradually build
up to the desired level of activity. Even among people
who are regularly active, the risk of myocardial infarction
or sudden death is somewhat increased during physical
exertion, but their overall risk of these outcomes is
lower than that among people who are sedentary.
Research on physical activity continues
to evolve. This report includes both well-established
findings and newer research results that await replication
and amplification. Interest has been developing in ways
to differentiate between the various characteristics
of physical activity that improve health. It remains
to be determined how the interrelated characteristics
of amount, intensity, duration, frequency, type, and
pattern of physical activity are related to specific
health or disease outcomes.
Attention has been drawn recently
to findings from three studies showing that cardiorespiratory
fitness gains are similar when physical activity occurs
in several short sessions (e.g., 10 minutes) as when
the same total amount and intensity of activity occurs
in one longer session (e.g., 30 minutes). Although,
strictly speaking, the health benefits of such intermittent
activity have not yet been demonstrated, it is reasonable
to expect them to be similar to those of continuous
activity. Moreover, for people who are unable to set
aside 30 minutes for physical activity, shorter episodes
are clearly better than none. Indeed, one study has
shown greater adherence to a walking program among those
walking several times per day than among those walking
once per day, when the total amount of walking time
was kept the same. Accumulating physical activity over
the course of the day has been included in recent recommendations
from the CDC and ACSM, as well as from the NIH Consensus
Development Conference on Physical Activity and Cardiovascular
Health.
Despite common knowledge that exercise
is healthful, more than 60 percent of American adults
are not regularly active, and 25 percent of the adult
population are not active at all. Moreover, although
many people have enthusiastically embarked on vigorous
exercise programs at one time or another, most do not
sustain their participation. Clearly, the processes
of developing and maintaining healthier habits are as
important to study as the health effects of these habits.
The effort to understand how to promote
more active lifestyles is of great importance to the
health of this nation. Although the study of physical
activity determinants and interventions is at an early
stage, effective programs to increase physical activity
have been carried out in a variety of settings, such
as schools, physicians offices, and worksites.
Determining the most effective and cost-effective intervention
approaches is a challenge for the future. Fortunately,
the United States has skilled leadership and institutions
to support efforts to encourage and assist Americans
to become more physically active. Schools, community
agencies, parks, recreational facilities, and health
clubs are available in most communities and can be more
effectively used in these efforts.
School-based interventions for youth
are particularly promising, not only for their potential
scopealmost all young people between the ages
of 6 and 16 years attend schoolbut also for their
potential impact. Nearly half of young people 1221
years of age are not vigorously active; moreover, physical
activity sharply declines during adolescence. Childhood
and adolescence may thus be pivotal times for preventing
sedentary behavior among adults by maintaining the habit
of physical activity throughout the school years. School-based
interventions have been shown to be successful in increasing
physical activity levels. With evidence that success
in this arena is possible, every effort should be made
to encourage schools to require daily physical education
in each grade and to promote physical activities that
can be enjoyed throughout life.
Outside the school, physical activity
programs and initiatives face the challenge of a highly
technological society that makes it increasingly convenient
to remain sedentary and that discourages physical activity
in both obvious and subtle ways. To increase physical
activity in the general population, it may be necessary
to go beyond traditional efforts. This report highlights
some concepts from community initiatives that are being
implemented around the country. It is hoped that these
examples will spark new public policies and programs
in other places as well. Special efforts will also be
required to meet the needs of special populations, such
as people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities,
people with low income, and the elderly. Much more information
about these important groups will be necessary to develop
a truly comprehensive national initiative for better
health through physical activity. Challenges for the
future include identifying key determinants of physically
active lifestyles among the diverse populations that
characterize the United States (including special populations,
women, and young people) and using this information
to design and disseminate effective programs.
Chapter
Conclusions
Chapter 2: Historical
Background and Evolution of Physical Activity Recommendations
- Physical activity for better health and well-being
has been an important theme throughout much of western
history.
- Public health recommendations have evolved from
emphasizing vigorous activity for cardio-respiratory
fitness to including the option of moderate levels
of activity for numerous health benefits.
- Recommendations from experts agree that for better
health, physical activity should be performed regularly.
The most recent recommendations advise people of all
ages to include a minimum of 30 minutes of physical
activity of moderate intensity (such as brisk walking)
on most, if not all, days of the week. It is also
acknowledged that for most people, greater health
benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity
of more vigorous intensity or of longer duration.
- Experts advise previously sedentary people embarking
on a physical activity program to start with short
durations of moderate-intensity activity and gradually
increase the duration or intensity until the goal
is reached.
- Experts advise consulting with a physician before
beginning a new physical activity program for people
with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease
and diabetes mellitus, or for those who are at high
risk for these diseases. Experts also advise men over
age 40 and women over age 50 to consult a physician
before they begin a vigorous activity program.
- Recent recommendations from experts also suggest
that cardiorespiratory endurance activity should be
supplemented with strength-developing exercises at
least twice per week for adults, in order to improve
musculoskeletal health, maintain independence in performing
the activities of daily life, and reduce the risk
of falling.
Chapter 3: Physiologic
Responses and Long-Term Adaptations to Exercise
- Physical activity has numerous beneficial physiologic
effects. Most widely appreciated are its effects on
the cardiovascular and musculoskel-etal systems, but
benefits on the functioning of metabolic, endocrine,
and immune systems are also considerable.
- Many of the beneficial effects of exercise trainingfrom
both endurance and resistance activitiesdiminish
within 2 weeks if physical activity is substantially
reduced, and effects disappear within 2 to 8 months
if physical activity is not resumed.
- People of all ages, both male and female, undergo
beneficial physiologic adaptations to physical activity.
Chapter 4: The
Effects of Physical Activity on Health and Disease
Overall Mortality
- Higher levels of regular physical activity are associated
with lower mortality rates for both older and younger
adults.
- Even those who are moderately active on a regular
basis have lower mortality rates than those who are
least active.
Cardiovascular Diseases
- Regular physical activity or cardiorespiratory fitness
decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality
in general and of coronary heart disease mortality
in particular. Existing data are not conclusive regarding
a relationship between physical activity and stroke.
- The level of decreased risk of coronary heart disease
attributable to regular physical activity is similar
to that of other lifestyle factors, such as keeping
free from cigarette smoking.
- Regular physical activity prevents or delays the
development of high blood pressure, and exercise reduces
blood pressure in people with hypertension.
Cancer
- Regular physical activity is associated with a decreased
risk of colon cancer.
- There is no association between physical activity
and rectal cancer. Data are too sparse to draw conclusions
regarding a relationship between physical activity
and endometrial, ovarian, or testicular cancers.
- Despite numerous studies on the subject, existing
data are inconsistent regarding an association between
physical activity and breast or prostate cancers.
NonInsulin-Dependent Diabetes
Mellitus
- Regular physical activity lowers the risk of developing
noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Osteoarthritis
- Regular physical activity is necessary for maintaining
normal muscle strength, joint structure, and joint
function. In the range recommended for health, physical
activity is not associated with joint damage or development
of osteoarthritis and may be beneficial for many people
with arthritis.
- Competitive athletics may be associated with the
development of osteoarthritis later in life, but sports-related
injuries are the likely cause.
Osteoporosis
- Weight-bearing physical activity is essential for
normal skeletal development during childhood and adolescence
and for achieving and maintaining peak bone mass in
young adults.
- It is unclear whether resistance- or endurance-type
physical activity can reduce the accelerated rate
of bone loss in postmenopausal women in the absence
of estrogen replacement therapy.
Falling
- There is promising evidence that strength training
and other forms of exercise in older adults preserve
the ability to maintain independent living status
and reduce the risk of falling.
Obesity
- Low levels of activity, resulting in fewer kilocalo-ries
used than consumed, contribute to the high prevalence
of obesity in the United States.
- Physical activity may favorably affect body fat
distribution.
Mental Health
- Physical activity appears to relieve symptoms of
depression and anxiety and improve mood.
- Regular physical activity may reduce the risk of
developing depression, although further research is
needed on this topic.
Health-Related Quality of Life
- Physical activity appears to improve health-related
quality of life by enhancing psychological well-being
and by improving physical functioning in persons compromised
by poor health.
Adverse Effects
- Most musculoskeletal injuries related to physical
activity are believed to be preventable by gradually
working up to a desired level of activity and by avoiding
excessive amounts of activity.
- Serious cardiovascular events can occur with physical
exertion, but the net effect of regular physical activity
is a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.
Chapter 5: Patterns
and Trends in Physical Activity
Adults
- Approximately 15 percent of U.S. adults engage regularly
(3 times a week for at least 20 minutes) in vigorous
physical activity during leisure time.
- Approximately 22 percent of adults engage regularly
(5 times a week for at least 30 minutes) in sustained
physical activity of any intensity during leisure
time.
- About 25 percent of adults report no physical activity
at all in their leisure time.
- Physical inactivity is more prevalent among women
thanmen,amongblacksandHispanicsthanwhites, among older
than younger adults, and among the less affluent than
the more affluent.
- The most popular leisure-time physical activities
among adults are walking and gardening or yard work.
Adolescents and Young Adults
- Only about one-half of U.S. young people (ages 1221
years) regularly participate in vigorous physical
activity. One-fourth report no vigorous physical activity.
- Approximately one-fourth of young people walk or
bicycle (i.e., engage in light to moderate activity)
nearly every day.
- About 14 percent of young people report no recent
vigorous or light-to-moderate physical activity. This
indicator of inactivity is higher among females than
males and among black females than white females.
- Males are more likely than females to participate
in vigorous physical activity, strengthening activities,
and walking or bicycling.
- Participation in all types of physical activity
declines strikingly as age or grade in school increases.
- Among high school students, enrollment in physical
education remained unchanged during the first half
of the 1990s. However, daily attendance in physical
education declined from approximately 42 percent to
25 percent.
- The percentage of high school students who were
enrolled in physical education and who reported being
physically active for at least 20 minutes in physical
education classes declined from approximately 81 percent
to 70 percent during the first half of this decade.
- Only 19 percent of all high school students report
being physically active for 20 minutes or more in
daily physical education classes.
Chapter 6: Understanding
and Promoting Physical Activity
- Consistent influences on physical activity patterns
among adults and young people include confidence in
ones ability to engage in regular physical activity
(e.g., self-efficacy), enjoyment of physical activity,
support from others, positive beliefs concerning the
benefits of physical activity, and lack of perceived
barriers to being physically active.
- For adults, some interventions have been successful
in increasing physical activity in communities, worksites,
and health care settings, and at home.
- Interventions targeting physical education in elementary
school can substantially increase the amount of time
students spend being physically active in physical
education class.
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____________________________________________
(Purchase order number)
Please indicate method of payment
_____ Check payable to the Superindendent
of Documents
_____ GPO Deposit Account ______________-_____
_____ VISA, Choice, or MasterCard
Account
_________________________
__________ (Credit Card Expiration date)
____________________________________________
(Authorizing Signature)
Mail to: Superintendent of
Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 152507954
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