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HHS ISSUES NEW REPORT ON AMERICANS'
OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS
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
Generally Inactive
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," HHS Secretary
Tommy G. 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 African
American adults (14 percent) and slightly less than
white adults (20 percent).
The report also indicates several
of other factors are 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 www.cdc.gov/nchs.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact
sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news
Find this actual Press Release here
at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030514.html.
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