Less than one quarter of American adults actually meet the guidelines for aerobic and strength exercise, according to new data from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The agency's National Center for Health Statistics on Thursday released the latest from its Healthy People 2020 initiative, which launched in 2010 in hopes of encouraging 20.1 percent of adults in the United States (ages 18-64) to meet U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fitness guidelines.
For the newly released figures, CDC researchers pooled data from the 2010-2015 National Health Interview Survey for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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They found that nationally, approximately 22.9 percent of U.S. adults met the expert-recommended leisure time exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (or 75 minutes of rigorous physical activity) per week and muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.
While the national average published this week surpassed the Healthy People 2020 initiative's target goal of 20.1 percent, "there are differences at the state level and there are differences by some sociodemographic factors," CDC health statistician and report author Tainya Clarke told CNN.
“We have to pause and ask ourselves, are we doing great as a nation? Is it really good that only 23% of our population is engaged in enough aerobic activity and muscle strength training, or do we need to do better?” Clarke added.
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Thirteen states, mostly in the Southeast, had significantly lower rates compared to the national average.
In Mississippi, less than 14 percent of adults get the recommended amount of exercise.
And in Georgia, only 20.2 percent of adults in the state met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening federal guidelines between 2010-2015.
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Only fourteen states and Washington, D.C. had rates significantly higher than the national average with 40.3 percent of D.C. adults meeting the requirement.
Adults in Colorado ranked No. 1 with about 32.5 percent getting enough exercise.
Here’s more on how Georgia fared:
- Adults who met guidelines: 20.2 percent
- Men: 27.1 percent
- Women: 14.2 percent
- Working men: 29.9
- Working women: 15.2
- Nonworking men: 21.1
- Nonworking women: 12.8
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According to the report, previous research has established that men are more likely than women to meet these fitness guidelines through leisure time physical activity (or LTPA) “despite the fact that men are more likely than women to be working in production and related occupations.”
Additionally, report authors noted that adults working physically demanding jobs or have commutes that are heavy on physical activity (walking, cycling), they may be less likely to engage in LTPA.
“This may explain, at least in part, why New York had such relatively low percentages of adults meeting the 2008 guidelines through LTPA,” according to the report.
But adults who are both physically active at work and during their leisure time are more likely to be healthier than adults who don’t engage in LTPA.
