HEALTH STATUS - Protective and Risk Factors

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Physical Activity

Health professionals recommend regular participation in physical activity to improve wellness and reduce risk of disease. Physical inactivity is a significant problem among American adults, contributing to a host of health risk factors and health conditions including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) examines the percentage of U.S. adults who engage in regular leisure-time physical activity. Preliminary data from early 2001 show that 36 percent of females aged 18-24 reported exercising regularly, with the proportion continually decreasing with advancing age. Among persons 18-64 years and 75 years and older, males were more likely than women to participate in regular exercise. The difference in the percentages of women and men aged 65-74 years who exercise regularly was not statistically significant.


Of adults ages 18-24, 52.6% of men and 36% of women engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity in January-June 2001. Of those ages 25-64, 36.6% of mena nd 30.9% of women engaged in physical activity. Of those ages 65-74, 29.7% of men and 26.8% of women engaged in physical activity, and of those ages 75 years and over, 19.6% of men and 13.8% of women did so.

 

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