Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-1. Sources of national and stat

Mode of Physical
Survey Abbreviated survey Population, Response Sample activity
title title Sponsor administration Years age rate size measure*
Adults
National NHIS National Household 1985, US, 18+ 83-88% 36,399 F/V/T/D
Health Center for interview 1990, years in 1985, over past
Interview Health 1991 41,104 2 weeks
Survey Statistics in 1990,
(NCHS), 43,732
Centers for in 1991
Disease
Control and
Prevention
(CDC)
Behavioral BRFSS - National Telephone 1986- 25 states* 62-71% Approx. F//T/D
Risk Factor Center for interview 1991 and D.C., 35,000- = over
Surveillance Chronic 18+ years 50,000 past
System Disease month
Prevention 1992 48 states 71% 96,343
and Health and D.C.
Promotion 18+ years
(NCCDPHP),
CDC 1994 49 states 70% 106,030
and D.C.
18+ years
Third NHANES Hl NCHS, Household 1988-91 US, 18+ 82% 9,901 F/T
National CDC interview (Phase 1) years over
Health and past
Nutrition month
Examination
Survey
Youths
Youth Risk YRBS NCCDPHP, Self- 1991, US, gt 70-78% of 12,272 F//T/D
Behavior CDC administered 1993, 12" grades selected in 1991, over
Survey in school 1995 (approxi- schools; 16,296 past
mately 86-90% of in 1993, week
15-18 students 10,904
years) in 1995
National NHIS- NCHS, Household 1992 US, 12-21 74% 10,645 F/I/T
Health YRBS CDC administration years over
interview via audiotape past
Survey- and self- week
Youth Risk completed

answer sheets

e-based data on physical activity*

Behavior
Sv

*Available at the time this report was compiled.
tf = frequency; | = intensity; T=
*Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Ge
New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohi

orgia, Hawaii, Ida

type; D = duration.

176

ho, illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachus
o, Rhode island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West V

etts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
irginia, and Wisconsin.
overestimate of the proportion of people who are
regularly physically active. More clear-cut is the
category of inactivity, which is considered to be the
most detrimental to health and is thus important to
monitor as an indicator of need for intervention.
\easures of stretching and strength training are also
derived, when possible, from the survey responses.

The various surveys differ in the means by
which they are conducted, in the wording of ques-
tions, in the time of year, in population sampling
frames, in response rates, and in definitions of
physical activity—all of which may cause differ-
ences in the resulting physical activity estimates.
However, even with these differences, the data from
the several data collection systems reveal a number
of consistencies in patterns and trends in self-
reported leisure-time physical activity.

Physical Activity among Adults
in the United States

Recent Patterns of Leisure-Time
Physical Activity

Physical Inactivity during Leisure Time

Physical inactivity during leisure time is one of the
easiest measures to define in population surveys.
Inactivity was conceptualized in the NHIS, BRFSS,
und NHANES Ill as no reported leisure-time physi-
_al activity in the previous 2 to 4 weeks. Healthy
People 2000 objective 1.5 states that the proportion
of leisure-time physical inactivity among people
aved 6 years and older should be no more than 15
percent by the year 2000 (USDHHS 1990).

The proportion of U.S. adults aged 18 years and
older who were classified as physically inactive dur-
ing leisure time varied somewhat among the three
recent surveys (Table 5-2). In the 1991 NHIS, 24.3
percent reported no activity in the previous 2 weeks.
in the 1992 BRESS, 28.7 percent of adults reported
no activity during the previous month. In the 1988-
1991 NHANES III, in which for operational reasons
participants tended to be surveyed in the North in
the summer and the South in the winter, the preva-
lence of inactivity during the previous month was
somewhat lower—21.7 percent.

Thus, despite minor differences, the surveys are
-onsistent in finding that about one-fourth of U.S.

177

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

adults do not engage in any leisure-time physical
activity, a proportion far from the 15 percent target
of Healthy People 2000 objective 1.5. Also evident
across the surveys is that more women than men are
physically inactive (Figure 5-1). The ratio of physi-
cal inactivity prevalence for women relative to that
for men ranged from 1.2 to 1.7 across the three
surveys. Findings for racial and ethnic groups, unad-
justed for socioeconomic differences, were generally
in accord across the surveys (Table 5-2): whites had
a lower prevalence of leisure-time inactivity than
blacks, Hispanics, and persons categorized as “other.”

Among the sex-specific racial and ethnic groups,
white men were the least likely to be inactive (< 26
percent). White women hada prevalence of inactiv-
ity (23.1-29.0 percent) similar to that among black
men and lower than that among Hispanic men. At
least one-third of black women and Hispanic women
reported no physical activity in their leisure time.

In all three surveys, the prevalence of physical
inactivity was higher in older groups (Figure 5-1).
Fewer than one in four adults aged 18-29 years
engaged in no physical activity, whereas about one in
three men and one in two women over 74 years of age
were inactive (Table 5-2). For the most part, the
prevalence of physical inactivity was greater among
persons with lower levels of education and income.
For example, there was twofold to threefold more
inactivity from lowest to highest income categories:
only 10.9 to 17.8 percent of participants with an
annual family income of $50,000 or more reported
no leisure-time physical activities, whereas 30.3 to
41.5 percent of those with an income less than
$10,000 reported this.

The prevalence of inactivity among adults tended
to be lower in the north central and western states than
in the northeastern and southern states (Table 5-2).
Participants surveyed in the winter months reported
being physically inactive substantially more often than
did those surveyed during the summer months (Fig-
ure 5-2). Inthe 1994 BRESS, state-specific prevalences
of physical inactivity from 49 states and the District of
Columbia ranged from 17.2 to 48.6 (Table 5-3).

Regular, Sustained Physical Activity

during Leisure Time

Healthy People 2000 objective 1.3 proposes that at
least 30 percent of people aged 6 years and older
should engage regularly, preferably daily, in light to
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-2. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years reporting no participation in leisure-time physical activity, by
various demographic characteristics, National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Third National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES IID), and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance

System (BRFSS), United States
Demographic group 1991 NHIS* 1988-1991 NHANES III* 1992 BRFSS**
Overall 24.3 (23.2, 25.3) 21.7 (19.0, 24.5) 28.7 (28.3, 29.1)
Sex
Males 21.4 (20.2, 22.6) 15.8 (12.4, 19.2) 26.5 (25.9, 27.1)
Females 26.9 (25.8, 28.0) 27.1 (23.0, 31.3) 30.7 (30.1, 31.3)
Race/Ethnicity
white, non-Hispanic 22.5 (21.4, 23.7) 18.2 (15.6, 20.8) 26.8 (26.4, 27.2)
Males 20.3. (19.0, 21.6) 12.9 (9.6, 16.1) 25.3 (24.7, 25.9)
Females 24.6 (23.4, 25.8) 23.1 (19.0, 27.1) 28.2 (27.6, 28.8)
Black, non-Hispanic 28.4 (26.4, 30.4) 30.4 (25.6, 35.3) 38.5 (36.9, 40.1)
Males 22.5 (20.0, 25.0) 20.6 (14.5, 26.8) 33.1 (30.9, 35.3)
Females 33.2 (30.8, 35.6) 38.1 (30.9, 45.2) 42.7 (40.7, 44.7)
Hispanic§ 33.6 (31.0, 36.3) 36.0 (32.5, 39.5) 34.8 (32.8, 36.8)
Males 29.6 (26.0, 33.2) 29.1 (24.3, 33.9) 30.2 (27.3, 33.1)
Females 37.4 (34.1, 40.8) 43.8 (38.5, 49.1) 39.0 (36.5, 41.5)
Other 26.7 (23.4, 30.0} 31.4 (28.9, 33.9)
Males 22.8 (18.2, 27.3) " 27.6 (24.1, 31.1)
Females 30.8 (27.0, 34.7) 35.8 (32.3, 39.3)
Age (years)
Males
18-29 17.6 (15.8, 19.4) 12.5 (9.0, 16.0} 18.9 (17.7, 20.1)
30-44 21.1 (19.8, 22.5) 14.5 (10.9, 18.1) 25.0 (24.0, 26.0)
45-64 23.9 (22.1, 25.7) 16.9 (13.0, 20.8) 32.0 (30.8, 33.2)
65-74 23.0 (20.4, 25.6) 17.5 (12.2, 22.8) 33.2 (31.2, 35.2)
75+ 27.1 (23.8, 30.4) 34.5 (28.0, 41.1) 38.2 (35.3, 41.1)
Females
18-29 25.0 (23.4, 26.6) 17.4 (13.4, 21.4) 25.4 (24.2, 26.6)
30-44 25.2 (23.8, 26.6) 24.9 (20.6, 29.3) 26.9 (25.9, 27.9)
45-64 27.4 (25.9, 28.9) 29.4 (24.6, 34.2) 32.1 (30.9, 33.3)
65-74 27.8 (25.7, 29.9) 32.5 (25.9, 39.2) 36.6 (34.8, 38.4)
75+ 37.9 (35.3, 40.6) 54.3 (47.9, 60.6) 50.5 (48.5, 52.5)
Education
< 12 yrs 37.1 (35.3, 38.9) 34.5 (31.2, 37.8) 46.5 (45.3, 47.7)
12 yrs 25.9 (24.7, 27.1) 20.8 (17.4, 24.3) 32.8 (32.1, 33.6)
Some college (13-15 yrs) 19.0 (17.8, 20.2) 15.7 (11.4, 19.9) 22.6 (21.9, 23-4)
College (16+ yrs) 14.2 (13.1, 15.3) 41.1. (6.9, 15.4) 17.8 (17.0, 18.5)
Income!
< $10,000 30.3 (28.4, 32.2) 34.5 (30.3, 38.7) 41.5 (40.1, 42.9)
$10,000-19,999 30.2 (28.5, 32.0) 28.5 (24.5, 32.6) 34.6 (33.6, 35.6)
$20,000-34,999 24.3 (22.9, 25.7) 18.7 (14.8, 22.6) 26.9 (26.1, 27.7)
$35,000-49,999 19.5 (18.1, 20.9) 15.9 (10.9, 20.9} 23.0 (22.0, 24.0)
$50,000+ 14.4 (13.2, 15.6) 10.9 (6.7, 15.1) 17.7 (16.9, 18.5)
Geographic region
Northeast 25.9 (24.5, 27.3) 21.6 (8.5, 34.6) 29.5 (28.5, 30.5)
North Central 20.8 (18.7, 22.9) 16.7. (7.6, 25.8) 28.6 (27.8, 29.4)
South 27.0 (25.2, 28.8) 24.8 (18.4, 31.1) 32.4 (31.6, 33.2)
West 22.5 (19.5, 25.5} 22.6 (14.8, 30.5) 22.0 (21.0, 23.0)

West ics, NHIS, public t

Sources; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS, public use data tapes, 1991; Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHANES, public use data tapes, 1988-1991; Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, BRFSS, 1992.

*NHIS asked about the prior 2 weeks: BRFSS asked about the prior month. ‘Based on data from 48 states and the District of Columbia.

*95% confidence intervals. * Hispanic reflects Mexican-Americans in NHANES Il. ''Estimates unreliable.
4 Annual income per family (NHIS) or household (BRFSS).

178
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 5-1. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years reporting no participation in leisure-time physical activity by
sex and age
60
[| 75+
["] 65-74 7
50
[ 45-64
BB 30-44
40 7 i is-29 5
5
9 30
ov
oO
20
10
0 L oo
BRFSS Men BRFSS Women NHIS Men NHIS Women NHANES Men NHANES Women
1992 1992 1991 1991 1988-1991 1988-1991
Survey—sex group
Figure 5-2. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years reporting no participation in leisure-time physical activity
by month
40
[| 4 |
30
_ —_
5 20 |
o
a
10
0
january December January December
1991 NHIS 1992 BRFSS

Monthly trend within survey

179
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-3. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years reporting
activity; and regular, vigorous activity, by state,

participation in no activity; regular, sustained

*

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

(BRFSS), 1994, United States

No activity
Overall 29.4 (29.0, 29.8)"
Alabama 45.9 (43.2, 48.6)
Alaska 22.8 (19.9, 25.7)
Arizona 23.7 (21.2, 26.2)
Arkansas 35.1 (32.6, 37.6)
California 21.8 (20.2, 23.4)
Colorado 17.2 (15.0, 19.4)
Connecticut 22.1 (19.9, 24.3)
Delaware 36.4 (34.0, 38.8)
D.C. 48.6 (45.3, 51.9)
Florida 28.0 (26.2, 29.8)
Georgia 33.0 (30.6, 35.4)
Hawaii 20.8 (18.6, 23.0)
Idaho 21.9 (19.7, 24.1)
ilinois 33.5 (31.1, 35.9)
Indiana 29.7 (27.7, 31.7)
lowa 33.2 (31.2, 35.2)
Kansas 34.5 (31.8, 37.2)
Kentucky 45.9 (43.5, 48.3)
Louisiana 33.5 (30.8, 36.2}
Maine 40.7 (37.8, 43.6)
Maryland 30.5 (28.9, 32.1)
Massachusetts 24.0 (21.6, 26.4)
Michigan 23.1 (21.1, 25.1)
Minnesota 21.8 (20.4, 23.2)
Mississippi 38.5 (35.6, 41.4)

Regular,
sustained activity

19.7 (19.3, 20.1)
17.1 (14.9, 19.3)
28.3 (24.8,31.8)
17.8 (15.4, 20.2)
17.2 (15.0, 19.4)
21.9 (20.3, 23.5)
26.5 (24.1, 28.9)
26.9 (24.5, 29.3)
17.7 (15.7,19.7)
11.6 (9.4, 13.8)
23.8 (22.2, 25.4)
18.0 (16.0, 20.0)
25.5 (23.3, 27.7)
26.3 (23.8, 28.8)
15.7 (13.9, 17.5)
18.8 (17.0, 20.6)
15.9 (14.3,17.5)
16.8 (14.6, 19.0)
13.2 (11.6, 14.8)
16.8 (14.8, 18.8)
13.0 (11.0, 15.0)
17.6 (16.2, 19.0)
23.2 (21.0, 25.4)
21.8 (19.8, 23.8)
20.1 (18.7, 21.5)
14.0 (12.0, 16.0)

Regular,
vigorous activity

14.0(13.6, 14.4)
11.2 (9.4, 13.0)
15.1(12.4, 17.8)
17.9(15.4, 20.4)
10.7 (9.1, 12.3)
15.7 (14.5, 16.9)
15.9 (14.1, 17.7)
16.9 (14.9, 18.9)
14.1(12.5, 15.7)
8.7 (6.9, 10.5)
20.0 (18.6, 21.4)
13.5 (11.9, 15.1)
18.3 (16.3, 20.3)
15.7 (13.7, 17.7)
14.6 (12.8, 16.4)
13.0 (11.4, 14.6)
13.3 (11.9, 14.7)
13.9 (11.9, 15.9)
11.3. (9.9,12.7)
11.3 (9.5, 13.1)
11.3 (9.5, 13.1)
14.5 (13.3, 15.7)
17.4(15.4, 19.4)
14.5 (12.9, 16.1)
15.4(14.2, 16.6)
9.8 (8.2, 11.4)

        

moderate physical activity requiring sustained,
rhythmic muscular movements for at least 30 min-
utes per day (USDHHS 1990). Regular, sustained
activity derived from the NHIS and the BRFSS was
defined as any type or intensity of activity that
occurs 5 times or more per week and 30 minutes or
more per occasion (see Appendix B ). This defini-
tion approximates the activity goal of the Healthy
People 2000 objective butincludes vigorous activity
of at least 30 minutes duration as well. Comparable
information was unavailable in the NHANES Il.
The percentage of U.S. adults meeting this defini-
tion of regular, sustained activity during leisure
time was about 22 percent in the two surveys
(23.5 in the NHIS and 20.1 in the BRFSS; see

180

Table 5-4)—8 percentage points lower than the
Healthy People 2000 target.

The prevalence of regular, sustained activity
was somewhat higher among men than women,
male-female ratios were 1.1:1.3. The two surveys
found no consistent association between racial/
ethnic groups and participation in regular, sustained
activity. The prevalence of regular, sustained activity
tended to be higher among 18- through 29-year-olds
than among other age groups, and it was lowest (< 15
percent) among women aged 75 years and older.
Education and income levels were associated posi-
tively with regular, sustained activity. For example,
adults with a college education had an approxi-
mately 50 percent higher prevalence of regular, sus-
tained activity than those with fewer than 12 years of
Table 5-3. Continued

 

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

 

Regular,
sustained activity

Regular,
vigorous activity

 

No activity
Missouri 32.0 (29.3, 34.7)
Montana 21.0 (18.6, 23.4)
Nebraska 24.3 (22.1, 26.5)
Nevada 21.7 (19.5, 23.9)
New Hampshire 25.8 (23.3, 28.3)
New Jersey 30.9 (28.2, 33.6)
New Mexico 19.8 (17.3, 22.3)
New York 37.1 (34.7, 39.5)
North Carolina 42.8 (40.3, 45.3)
North Dakota 32.0 (29.6, 34.4)
Ohio 38.0 (35.1, 40.9)
Oklahoma 30.4 (28.0, 32.8)
Oregon 20.8 (19.2, 22.4)
Pennsylvania 26.5 (24.9, 28.1)
South Carolina 31.4 (29.2, 33.6}
South Dakota 30.8 (28.4, 33.2)
Tennessee 39.7 (37.7, 41.7)
Texas 27.8 (25.1, 30.5)
Utah 21.0 (18.8, 23.2)
Vermont 23.3 (21.5, 25.1)
Virginia 23.0 (20.6, 25.4)
Washington 18.2 (16.8, 19.6)
West Virginia 45.3 (43.1, 47.5)
Wisconsin 25.9 (23.2, 28.6)
Wyoming 20.9 (18.4, 23.4)

18.0 (15.8, 20.2)
21.8 (19.3, 24.3)
16.7 (14.7, 18.7)
25.3 (22.9, 27.7)
21.2 (19.0, 23.4)
20.7 (18.3, 23.1)
25.5 (22.6, 28.4)
14.8 (13.2, 16.4)
12.7 (11.1,14.3)
20.2 (18.0, 22.4)
15.9 (13.7, 18.1)
23.0 (20.8, 25.2)
27.3 (25.3, 29.3)
21.2 (19.6, 22.8)
15.1 (13.3, 16.9)
19.4 (17.4, 21.4)
15.0 (13.6, 16.4)
20.7 (18.2, 23.2)
21.6 (19.4, 23.8)
25.7 (23.7,27.7)
24.6 (22.2, 27.0)
25.7 (24.1, 27.3)
14.3 (12.7,15.9)
22.7 (20.2, 25.2)
27.9 (24.8, 31.0)

10.8 (9.0, 12.6)
15.0(12.6, 17.4)
14.7 (12.9, 16.5)
14.1 (12.3, 15.9)
17.0 (14.8, 19.2)
11.6. (9.8, 13.4)
18.4 (16.0, 20.8)
10.6 (9.2,12.0)

* 9,3 (7.9, 10.7)

13.9(12.1, 15.7)
12.4(10.4, 14.4)
11.1 (9.5, 12.7)
18.7 (17.1, 20.3)
14.5 (13.3, 15.7)
11.9(10.3, 13.5)
11.9(10.3, 13.5)
12.7 (11.3, 14.1)
13.0 (11.0, 15.0)
14.3 (12.5, 16.1)
18.4 (16.6, 20.2)
14.6 (12.8, 16.4)
16.8 (15.4, 18.2)
9.8 (8.4, 11.2)
12.7 (10.7, 14.7)
16.3 (13.9, 18.7)

 

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, BRFSS, 1994.

*tncludes 49 states and the District of Columbia. Data for Rhode tsland were unavailable.

'95% confidence intervals.

education. Among the regions of the United States,
the West tended to have the highest prevalence of
adults participating in regular, sustained activity
(Table 5-4). Regular, sustained activity, which com-
prises many outdoor activities, was most prevalentin
the summer. In the 1994 BRFSS, state-specific
prevalences of regular, sustained activity ranged
from 11.6 to 28.3 (Table 5-3).

Regular, Vigorous Physical Activity during
Leisure Time

People who exercise both regularly and vigorously
would be expected to improve cardiovascular fitness
the most. The NHIS and the BRFSS defined regular,
vigorous physical activity as rhythmic contraction of

181

large muscle groups, performed at 50 percent or more
of estimated age- and sex-specific maximum cardio-
respiratory capacity, 3 times per week or more for at
least 20 minutes per occasion (see Appendix B). The
prevalence of regular, vigorous leisure-time activ-
ity reported by U.S. adults was about 15 percent
(16.4 percent in the 1991 NHIS and 14.2 percent in
the 1992 BRESS: see Table 5-5). This prevalence is
lower than the goal stated in Healthy People 2000
objective 1.4, which is to have at least 20 percent of
people aged 18 years and older engage in vigorous
physical activity at 50 percent or more of individual
cardiorespiratory capacity 3 days or more per week
for 20 minutes or more per occasion (USDHHS
1990).
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-4. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years reporting participation in regular, sustained physical activity
(5+ times per week for 30+ minutes per occasion), by various demographic characteristics,
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS),

United States
Demographic group 1991 NHIS* 1992 BRFSS**
Overall 23.5 (22.9, 24.1)* 20.1 (19.7, 20.5)
Sex
Males 26.6 (25.7, 27.5) 21.5 (20.9, 22.1)
Females 20.7 (19.9, 21.5) 18.9 (18.4, 19.3)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 24.0 (23.2, 24.7) 20.8 (20.4, 21.2)
Males 26.7 (25.7, 27.6) 21.9 (21.3, 22.5)
Females 21.5 (20.6, 22.4) 19.8 (19.2, 20.4)
Black, non-Hispanic 22.9 (21.4, 24.4) 15.2 (14.0, 16.4)
Males 28.9 (26.6, 31.3) 18.5 (16.5, 20.5)
Females 18.0 (16.2, 19.8) 12.6 (11.4, 13.8)
Hispanic 20.0 (18.1, 21.9) 20.1. (18.5, 21.7)
Males 23.7 (20.6, 26.7) 21.4 (18.9, 23.9)
Females 16.5 (14.3, 18.7) 18.9 (16.7, 21.1)
Other 23.4 (20.5, 26.2} 17.3. (15.1, 19.5)
Males - 95.5 (21.0, 30.0) 19.7 (16.6, 22.8)
Females 21.1 (17.7, 24.6) 14.5 (12.0, 17.0)
Age (years)
Males
18-29 32.0 (30.2, 33.7) 26.8 (25.4, 28.2)
30-44 24.1 (22.8, 25.3) 17.4 (16.6, 18.2)
45-64 24.2 (22.8, 25.6) 18.9 (17.7, 20.1)
65-74 29.2 (27.0, 31.4) 26.8 (24.8, 28.8)
75+ 24.6 (21.8, 27.4) 23.2 (20.5, 25.9)
Females
18-29 23.2 (21.6, 24.8) 19.9 (18.7, 21.1)
30-44 20.4 (19.4, 21.4) 18.5 (17.7, 19.3)
45-64 20.6 (19.4, 21.8) 19.4 (18.4, 20.4)
65-74 21.3 (19.5, 23.0) 19.0 (17.6, 20.4)
75+ 13.8 (12.2, 15.4) 15.0 (13.4, 16.6)
Education
< 12 yrs 18.1. (17.0, 19.2) 15.6 (14.6, 16.6)
12 yrs 21.9 (21.0, 22.7) 17.8 (17.2, 18.4)
Some college (13-15 yrs) 26.8 (25.7, 28.0) 22.7 (21.9, 23.5)
College (16+ yrs) 28.5 (27.3, 29.6) 23.5 (22.7, 24.3)
income
< $10,000 23.6 (21.8, 25.5) 17.6 (16.6, 18.6)
$10,000-19,999 20.4 (19.3, 21.4) 18.7. (17.9, 19.5)
$20,000-34,999 23.2 (22.2, 24.2) 20.3 (19.5, 21.1)
$35,000-49,999 23.9 (22.7, 25.1) 20.9 (19.9, 21.9)
$50,000+ 28.0 (26.8, 29.2) 23.5 (22.5, 24.5)
Geographic region
Northeast 23.9 (22.8, 25.0) 20.2 (19.2, 21.2)
North Central 24.2 (22.7, 25.6) 18.2 (17.4, 19.0)
South 21.1 (19.9, 22.2) 19.0 (18.4, 19.6)
West 26.1 (24.6, 27.5) 24.0 (23.0, 25.0)

West

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NH!S, public use data tapes, 1991; Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, BRFSS, 1992.

*Based on data from 48 states and the District of Columbia.

+NHIS asked about the prior 2 weeks: BRFSS asked about the prior month.

#95% confidence intervals.

§Annual income per family (NHIS) or household (BRFSS).

182
Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

Table 5-5. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years participating in regular, vigorous physical activity (3+ times
per week for 20+ minutes per occasion at 50+ percent of estimated age- and sex-specific maximum
cardiorespiratory capacity), by various demographic characteristics, National Health Interview
Survey (NHIS) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), United States

 

Demographic group 1991 NHIS* 1992 BRFSS**
Overall 16.4 (15.9, 16.9)* 14.4 (14.0, 14.8)
Sex
Males 18.1 (17.4, 18.8) 12.9 (12.5, 13.3)
Females 14.9 (14.3, 15.5) 15.8 (15.4, 16.2)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 17.2 (16.6, 17.7) 15.3 (14.9, 15.7)
Males 18.6 (17.9, 19.3) 13.3 (12.7, 13.9)
Females 15.9 (15.2, 16.6) 17.1 (16.5, 17.7)
Black, non-Hispanic 12.9 (11.7, 14.0) 9.4 (&6, 10.2)
Males 16.0 (13.9, 18.0) 9.5 (8.1, 10.9)
Females 10.4 (9.0, 11.7) 9.4 (8.4, 10.4)
Hispanic 13.6 (11.9, 15.2) 11.9 (10.5, 13.3)
Males 15.6 (12.9, 18.3) 12.4 (10.2, 14.6)
Females 11.7. (9.9, 13.4) 11.4 (9.8, 13.0)
Other 16.8 (14.5, 19.1) 11.8 (10.0, 13.6)
Males 18.8 (15.2, 22.3) 11.5 (9.0, 14.0)
Females . 14.8 (11.9, 17.8) 12.2 (10.0, 14.4)
Age (years)
Males
18-29 19.7 (18.3, 21.1) 8.0 (7.2, 8.8)
30-44 13.7 (12.8, 14.6) 11.1. (10.3, 11.9)
45-04 14.9 (13.7, 16.1) 16.3 (15.3, 17.3)
65-74 27.3 (25.2, 29.5) 20.6 (18.8, 22.4)
75+ 38.3 (35.2, 41.5) 20.6 (18.1, 23.1)
Females
18-29 16.0 (14.7, 17.3) 11.4 (10.6, 12.2)
30-44 13.3. (12.4, 14.1) 18.0 (17.2, 18.8)
45-64 12.1. (11.1, 13.0) 17.7 (16.7, 18.7)
65-74 18.5 (16.9, 20.1) 16.5 (15.1, 17.9)
75+ 22.6 (20.5, 24.7) 12.8 (11.4, 14.2)
Education
< 12 yrs 11.9 (11.1, 12.8) 8.2 (7.4, 9.0}
12 yrs 13.6 (13.0, 14.3) 11.5 (10.9, 12.1)
Some college (13-15 yrs) 18.9 (17.9, 19.9) 14.9 (14.3, 15.5)
College (16+ yrs} 23.5 (22.4, 24.6) 21.9 (21.1, 22.7)
Income$
< $10,000 15.5 (14.1, 17.0) 9.0 (8.2, 9.8)
$10,000-19,999 14.4 (13.5, 15.4) 10.8 (10.2, 11.4)
$20,000-34,999 15.5 (14.6, 16.4) 14.2 (13.6, 14.8)
$35,000-49,999 16.0 (14.9, 17.0} 16.3 (15.5, 17.1)
$50,000+ 21.5 (20.4, 22.6) 20.5 (19.5, 21.5)
Geographic region
Northeast . 16.1 (15.2, 16.9) 13.8 (13.0, 14.6)
North Central 16.5 (15.5, 17.5) 13.7. (13.1, 14.3)
South 14.7. (13.9, 15.5) 13.8 (13.2, 14.4)
West 19.2 (17.9, 20.5) 16.8 (16.0, 17.6)

 

 

 

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS, 1991; Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, BRFSS, 1992.

*“NHIS asked about the prior 2 weeks; BRFSS asked about the prior month.

*Based on data from 48 states and the District of Columbia.

*95% confidence intervals.

‘Annual income per family (NHIS) or household (BRFSS).

183
Physical Activity and Health

The proportion performing regular, vigorous ac-
tivity was 3 percentage points higher among men than
women in the NHIS, but it was 3 percentage points
higher among women than men in the BRFSS. This
difference between sexesin the surveys may be related
to the BRESS’s use ofa correction procedure (based on
speeds of activities like walking, jogging, and swim-
ming) to create intensity coding (Appendix B;
Caspersen and Powell [unpublished technical mono-
graph] 1986, Caspersen and Merritt 1995). Regular,
vigorous activity tended to be more prevalent among
whites than among blacks and Hispanics (Table 5-5).
These racial and ethnic patterns were somewhat more
striking among women than among men.

The relationship between regular, vigorous physi-
cal activity and age varied somewhat between the
two surveys. In the NHIS, the prevalence of regular,
vigorous activity was higher for men and women
aged 18-29 years than for those aged 30-64 years,
but it was highest among men and women aged 65
years and older. Among men participating in the
BRESS, regular, vigorous activity increased with age
from those 18-29 years old to those 2 65 years old.
Among women participating in the BRFSS, the preva-
lence of regular, vigorous activity was higher for
those aged 30-74 years than for those aged 18-29
years and 2 75 years.

The finding of generally lower prevalences of
regular, vigorous activity among younger than older
adults (Table 5-5) may seem unexpected. It is ex-
plained partly by both the greater leisure time of
older adults and the use of an age-related relative
intensity classification (Caspersen, Pollard, Pratt
1987; Stephens and Caspersen 1994; Caspersen and
Merritt 1995). Because cardiorespiratory capacity
declines with age, activities that would be moder-
ately intense for young adults, such as walking,
become more vigorous for older people. If the two
surveys had instead used an absolute intensity clas-
sification, the estimated prevalence of people engag-
ing in regular, vigorous physical activity would have
fallen dramatically with age. (This age-related drop
in activities of high absolute intensity is shown in
Table 5-6 and described in the next section.) Like-
wise, the male:female ratio of vigorous activity preva-
lence in Table 5-5 would rise if an absolute intensity
classification were used, because women have a
lower average cardiorespiratory capacity than men.

184

In both surveys, the proportion of adults report-
ing regular, vigorous activity was higher in each
successive educational category (Table 5-5). Adults
who had college degrees reported regular, vigorous
activity approximately two to three times more often
than those who had not completed high school. In
the NHIS, a similar positive association was seen
between income and regular, vigorous physical ac-
tivity. In the BRFSS, the prevalence of regular, vigor-
ous physical activity was highest at the highest
income level. The prevalence of regular, vigorous
physical activity was not consistently related to em-
ployment status Or marital status in the two surveys.
It was higher in the West than in other regions of the
United States and in warmer than in colder months.
In the 1994 BRFSS, state-specific prevalences of
regular, vigorous activity ranged from 6.7 to 16.9
(Table 5-3).

Participation in Specific Physical Activities
NHIS participants reported specific activities in the
previous 2 weeks (Table 5-6). By far, walking was the
most commonly reported leisure-time physical ac-
tivity, followed by gardening or yard work, stretch-
ing exercises, bicycling, strengthening exercises, stair
climbing, jogging or running, aerobics or aerobic
dancing, and swimming. Because these percentages
are based on all participants in the year-round NHIS,
they underestimate the overall prevalence of partici-
pation in seasonal activities, such as skiing.
Substantial differences exist between the sexes
for many activities. Gardening or yard work, strength-
ening exercises, jogging Or running, and vigorous or
contact sports were more commonly reported by
men than women. Women reported walking and
aerobics or aerobic dancing more often than menand
reported participation in stretching exercises, bicy-
cling, stair climbing, and swimming aboutas often as
men. Participation in mostactivities, especially weight
lifting and vigorous or contact sports, declined sub-
stantially with age (Table 5-6). The prevalence of
walking, gardening or yard work, and golf tended to
remain stable or increase with age. Among adults
aged 65 years and older, walking (> 40 percent
prevalence) and gardening or yard work (> 20 per-
cent prevalence) were by far the most popular
activities.
Table 5-6. Percentage of adults aged 18+ yea
the prior 2 weeks, by sex and age,

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

rs reporting participation in selected com
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), United States, 1991

 

 

 

 

 

Males Females

Activity category 18-29 30-44 45-64 65-74 75+ All 18-29 30-44 45-64 65-74 75+ Alt
Walking for exercise 32.8 376 43.3 50.1 47.1 39.4 47.4 49.1 49.4 50.1 40.5 48.3
Gardening or

yard work 22.2 36.0 39.8 42.6 38.4 34.2 15.4 28.6 29.6 28.2 21.5 25.1
Stretching exercises 32.1 27.2 20.0 15.5 15.7. 25.0 32.5 27.7. 21.4 21.9 17.9 26.0
Weight lifting or

other exercise

to increase .

muscle strength 33.6 21.2 12.2 6.4 4.7 20.0 14.5 10.6 5.1 2.8 1.1 8.8
jorging of running 22.6 14.1 77 1.4 0.5 12.8 11.6 6.5 2.5 0.8 0.4 5.7
Aerobics or aerobic

dance 3.4 3.3 2.1 1.6 1.0 2.8 19.3. 12.3 6.6 4.2 1.6 1.1
Riding a bicycle or

exercise bike 18.7 18.5 14.0 10.8 8.4 16.2 17.4 16.9 12.6 11.4 6.0 14.6
Stair climbing 10.5 11.4 9.6 6.0 4.0 9.9 14.6 12.8 10.3 73 5.6 11.6
Swimming for

eXxe§cise 10.1 7.6 5.3 3.1 1.4 6.9 8.0 7.5 4.6 4.2 1.5 6.2
lennis 5.7 3.3 2.9 11 0.4 3.5 3.1 2.4 1.3 0.6 0.1 2.0
Bowling 7.0 5.2 3.0 2.8 1.6 47 4.8 4.2 2.8 2.5 1.1 3.6
Golf 7.9 8.6 7.9 9.7 49 8.2 1.4 17 2.2 3.3 0.7 1.8
Baseball or softball 11.0 6.9 1.8 0.4 _— 5.8 3.2 17 0.3 0.2 — 1.4
i 1andhall, racquet-

ball, or squash 5.2 2.8 1.5 0.3 —_— 2.7 1.0 0.4 0.4 0.1 — 0.5
“RIA 1:5 1.0 0.4 0.1 — 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.3 0.0 —_ 0.5
( ross country skiing 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.4
Water skiing 1.5 0.7 0.3 — _— 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.1 0.0 _— 0.4
Basketball 24.2 10.5 2.4 0.1 0.1 10.5 3.1 1.7 0.4 — 0.2 1.5
Volleyball 6.8 3.0 1.1 0.2 0.2 3.1 4.4 1.9 0.5 0.0 0.1 1.8
Soccer 3.3 1.4 0.3 0.1 — 1.4 0.9 0.4 0.1 — _ 0.4

notball 7.6 1.8 0.4 0.2 _ 2.7 0.7 0.4 0.0 — — 0.3
ther sports 8.6 7.9 6.0 6.2 5.2 7.3 4.5 4.5 3.6 4.3 2.8 4.1

Note: 0.0 = quantity less than 0.05 but greater than zero; — = quantity is equal to zero.

source: Centers for Disease C

185

ontrol and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS, 1991.

mon physical activities in

All
ages
and

sexes

44.1

29.4
25.5

14.1
9.1

7.1

15.4
10.8

6.5
2.7
4.1
4.9
3.5

1.6
0.7
0.4
0.5
5.8
2.5
0.9
1.5
5.7
Physical Activity and Health

Healthy People 2000 objective 1.6 recommends
that at least 40 percent of people aged 6 years and
older should regularly perform physical activities
that enhance and maintain muscular strength, mus-
cular endurance, and flexibility (USDHHS 1990).
National surveys have not quantified all these activi-
ties but have inquired about specific sentinel activi-
ties, suchas weight lifting and stretching. In the 1991
NHIS, 14.1 percent of adults reported “weight lifting
and other exercises to increase muscle strength” in
the previous 2 weeks (Table 5-7). Participation in
strengthening activities was more than twice as preva-
lent among men than women. Black men tended to
have the highest participation (26.2 percent) and
black women the lowest (6.9 percent). Participation
was much higher among younger than older adults,
among the more affluent than the less affluent, and
in the West than in other regions of the United States.

Of special concern, given the promising evi-
dence that strengthening exercises provide substan-
tial benefit to the elderly (see Chapter 4), is the low
prevalence of strengthening activities among those
aged 65 or older (< 6.4 percent in men and < 2.8
percent in women, see Table 5-7).

Adult participation in stretching activity over
the previous 2 weeks was 25.5 percent in the NHIS
(Table 5-7). Stretching participation declined with
age and tended to be associated positively with levels
of education and income and to be lower in the South
than in other regions of the United States.

Leisure-Time Physical Activity among

Adults with Disabilities

Although little information is available on physical
activity patterns among people with disabilities, one
recent analysis was based on the special NHIS Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention Supplement from
1991. Heath and colleagues (1995) compared physi-
cal activity patterns among people with disabilities
(i.e., activity limitations due to a chronic health
problem or impairment) to those among people
without disabilities. People with disabilities were
less likely to report engaging in regular moderate
physical activity (27.2 percent) than were people
without disabilities (37.4 percent). People with dis-
abilities were also less likely to report engaging in
regular vigorous physical activity (9.6 percentvs. 14.2
percent). Correspondingly, people with disabilities

186

were more likely to report being inactive (32 percent
vs. 27 percent).

Trends in Leisure-Time Physical Activity

Until the 20th century, people performed most
physical activity as part of their occupations or
in subsistence activities. In Western populations,
occupation-related physical demands have declined,
and the availability of leisure time has grown. It is
generally believed that over the past 30 years, as
both the popularity of sports and public awareness
of the role of physical activity in maintaining health
have increased, physical activity performed during
leisure time has increased (Stephens 1987, Jacobs
et al. 1991). Stephens concluded that the increase
was greater among women than men and among
older than younger adults and that the rate of
increase probably was more pronounced in the
1970s than between 1980 and 1985 (Stephens 1987).
However, no systematic data were collected on
physical activity among U.S. adults until the 1980s.

Even now, few national data are available on
consistently measured trends in physical activity.
The NHIS has data from 1985, 1990, and 1991, and
the BRESS has consistent data from the same 25
states and the District of Columbia for each year
between 1986 and 1992 and for 1994. According to
the NHIS, participation in leisure-time physical ac-
tivity among adults changed very little between the
mid-1980s and the early 1990s (Table 5-8 and Figure
5-3), Similarly, in the BRESS (Table 5-8 and Figure
5-4), little improvement was evident from 1986
through 1994.

Physical Activity among Adolescents
and Young Adults in the United States

The most recent U.S. data on the prevalence of
physical activity among young people are from the
1992 household-based NHIS-YRBS, which sampled
all young people aged 12-21 years, and the 1995
school-based YRBS, which included students in
grades 9-12. Variations in estimates between the
NHIS-YRBS and the YRBS may be due not only to the
distinct populations represented in each survey but
also to the time of year each survey was conducted,
the mode of administration, the specific wording of
Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

Table 5-7. Percentage of adults aged 18+ years reporting participation in any strengthening activities* or
stretching exercises in the prior 2 weeks, by various demographic characteristics, National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS), United States, 1991

 

Demographic group Strengthening activities Stretching exercises
Overall 14.1 (13.6, 14.6)" 25.5 (24.7, 26.4)
Sex
Males 20.0 (19.2, 20.7) 25.0 (24.0, 26.1)
Females 8.8 (8.3, 9.2) 26.0 (25.1, 27.0)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 13.7 (13.2, 14.2) 25.9 (24.9, 26.8)
Males 18.8 (18.0, 19.6) 24.9 (23.8, 26.0)
Females 9.0 (8.5, 9.6) 26.7 (25.7, 27.8)
Black, non-Hispanic 15.5 (14.2, 16.9) 24.2 (22.5, 26.0)
Males 26.2 (23.7, 28.7) 24.7 (22.1, 27.3)
Females 6.9 (5.8, 8.0) 23.9 (21.7% 26.0)
Hispanic 15.8 (13.9, 17.6) 22.4 (19.9, 24.9)
Males 23.4 (20.3, 26.5) 23.6 (20.4, 26.7)
Females 8.6 (7.0, 10.3) 21.3 (18.3, 24.3)
Other : 14.9 (12.3, 17.5) 30.0 (26.2, 33.8)
Males 20.3 (16.0, 24.7) 31.4 (26.0, 36.8)
Females 9.2 (6.6, 11.7) 28.5 (24.3, 32.7)
Age (years)
Males
18-29 33.6 (31.7, 35.5) 32.1 (30.1, 34.2)
30-44 21.2 (20.1, 22.3) 27.2 (25.8, 28.6)
45-64 12.2 (11.1, 13.4) 20.0 (18.6, 21.5)
65-74 6.4 (5.1, 7.7) 15.5 (13.4, 17.6)
75+ 4.7 (3.1, 6.3) 15.7 (13.2, 18.3)
Females
18-29 14.5 (13.3, 15.6) 32.5 (30.7, 34.2)
30-44 10.6 (9.9, 11.4) 27.7 (26.3, 29.0)
45-64 5.1 (4.5, 5.8) 21.4 (20.1, 22.8)
65-74 2.8 (2.0, 3.7) 21.9 (20.0, 23.8)
75+ 1.1. (0.7, 1.6) 17.9 (16.0, 19.9)
Education
<12 yrs 7.4 (6.6, 8.1) 14.7. (13.5, 15.8)
12 yrs 12.3. (11.7, 13.0) 22.6 (21.7, 23.6)
Some college (13-15 yrs) 18.3 (17.3, 19.2) 31.3 (29.9, 32.7)
College (16+ yrs) 19.6 (18.6, 20.6) 35.4 (34.0, 36.9)
income*
< $10,000 12.9 (11.4, 14.4) 23.4 (21.7, 25.1)
$10,000-$19,999 10.7 (9.8, 11.6) 21.0 (19.7, 22.3)
$20,000-$ 34,999 14.3 (13.4, 15.1) 25.6 (24.4, 26.9)
$35,000-$49,999 15.3 (14.3, 16.3) 28.9 (27.4, 30.4)
$50,000+ 19.1 (18.1, 20.2) 33.5 (32.1, 34.9)
Geographic region
Northeast 13.8 (12.9, 14.8) 24.9 (23.6, 26.2)
North Central . 14.5 (13.6, 15.3) 28.5 (26.5, 30.6)
South 12.4 (11.6, 13.3) 20.8 (19.2, 22.4)
West 16.5 (15.4, 17.7) 29.9 (28.1, 31.7)

 

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS, 1991.

*Strengthening activities include weight lifting and other exercises to increase muscle strength.
95% confidence intervals.
‘Annual income per family.

187
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-8. Trends in the
ustained activity;

percentage of adults aged 18+ year

and regular, vigorous activity, by sex,

lance System (BRFSS),

5 reporting participa
National Hea
United States, from 198

tion in no activity; regular,

Ith Interview Survey (NHIS)
5-1994

s
and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveil
1986-1994 BRFSS"

1985, 1990, 1991 NHIS

Males Females Total Males Females Total

No activity

1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994

19.9 (18.8, 20.9)"

24.9 (23.9, 25.9)
21.4 (20.2, 22.6)

Regular, sustained activity

1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994

Regular,
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993

27.5 (26.6, 28.4)

29.0 (28.1, 29.9)
26.6 (25.7, 27.5)

vigorous activity
17.2 (16.1, 18.3)

18.9 (18.1, 19.7)
18.1 (17.4, 18.8)

26.3 (25.3, 27.3)

32.4 (31.4, 33.4)
26.9 (25.8, 28.0)

22.5 (21.7, 23.3)

22.7 (22.0, 23.4)
20.7 (19.9, 21.5)

15.1 (14.3, 15.8)

15.9 (15.3, 16.4)
14.9 (14.3, 15.5)

23.2 (22.3, 24.1)

28.3 (28.0, 29.7)
24.3 (23.2, 25.3)

24.9 (24.2, 25.5)

25.7 (25.1, 26.3)
23.5 (22.9, 24.1)

16.1 (15.3, 16.8)

17.3 (16.8, 17.8)
16.4 (15.9, 16.9)

31.2 (30.0, 32.4)
29.6 (28.4, 30.8)
27.5 (26.5, 28.5)
28.8 (27.8, 29.8)
28.6 (27.6, 29.6)
29.0 (28.0, 30.0)
26.7 (25.9, 27.5)

28.7 (27.9, 29.5)

19.5 (18.5, 20.5)
20.0 (18.8, 21.2)
20.5 (19.5, 21.5)
20.0 (19.0, 21.0)
20.5 (19.5, 21.5)
19.5 (18.7, 20.3)
21.0 (20.2, 21.8)

19.3 (18.5, 20.1)

11.2 (10.4, 12.0)
10.7 (9.9, 11.5)
11.1 (10.3, 11.9)
11.3 (10.5, 12.1)
11.0 (10.2, 11.8)
11.2 (10.6, 11.8)
11.8 (11.2, 12.4)

11.4 (10.8, 12.0)

1994

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

and Prevention, Nationa

“25 states and the District of Columbia
*95% confidence intervals.

questions, and the age of r
time can be monitored o
was conducted in 1991 an
An assessment of the test-retest re
YRBS indicated that the fo
included in the study had a
of reliability) in the “substantia
most perfect” (ie., 81-100) range (B

nl

National Center fo

espondents. Trends over
y with the YRBS, which
d 1993 as well as in 1995.
liability of the
ur physical activity items
kappa value (an indicator
I” (ie., 61-80) or “al-
rener et al. 1995).

188

r Health Statistics, NHIS, 1
1 Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, BRFSS, 1986-1992 and 1994.

to no
aged 6 years and o
1990). For this re
performing no vigor
participation that m
breathe hard” for atle

34.3 (33.3, 35-3)
33.9 (32.9, 34.9)
31.5 (30.5, 32.5)
33.6 (32.6, 34.6)
32.3 (31.3, 33.3)
32.8 (32.0, 33.6)
31.4 (30.6, 32.2).

33.0 (32.2, 33.8)

18.1 (17.3, 18.9)
17.6 (16.8, 18.4)
19.6 (18.8, 20.4)
18.0 (17.2, 18.8)
18.5 (17.7, 19-3)
18.3 (17.5, 19.1)
18.4 (17.8, 19.0)

18.1 (17.5, 18.7)

10.3 (9.7, 10.9)
10.6 (10.0, 11.2)
12.3 (11.5, 13.1)
11.9 (117.3, 12.5)
12.9 (12.3, 13.5)
12.6 (12.0, 13.2)
42.2 (11.6, 12.8)

11.4 (10.8, 12.0)

Physical Inactivity
Healthy People 2000 0

32.8 (32.0, 33.6)
31.8 (31.0, 32.6)
29.6 (28.8, 30.4)
31.3 (30.5, 32.1)
30.5 (29.7, 31.3)
31.0 (30.4, 31.6)
29.2 (28.6, 29.8)

30.9 (30.3, 31.5)

18.8 (18.2, 19-4)
18.8 (18.2, 19.4)
20.0 (19.4, 20.6)
19.0 (18.4, 19.6)
19.4 (18.8, 20.0)
18.9 (18.3, 19.5)
19.7 (19.1, 20.3)

18.7 (18.1, 19.3)

10.7 (10.1, 11.3)
10.7 (10.1, 11.3)
11.7 (11.1, 12.3)
11.6 (11.2, 12.0)
12.0 (11.6, 12.4)
11.9 (11.5, 12.3)
12.0 (11.6, 12.4)

11.4 (11.0, 11.8)

985, 1990, 1991; Centers for Disease Control

bjective 1.5 calls for reducing
more than 15 percent the proportion of people
Ider who are inactive (USDHHS
port, inactivity was defined as
ous activity (exercise or sports

ade the respondent “sweat OF

ast 20 minutes) and performing
ee

Figure 5-3. Trends in leisure-time physical activity of
adults aged 18+ years, NHIS

40

35

    
    

30 No activity

25

~

Regular, sustained

 

 

3 20
2
15 Regular, vigorous
10
5
O 1 l { L L
1985 1990 (1991

Year

ee

 

Figure 5-4. Trends in the percentage of adults aged
18+ years participating in no leisure-time
activity, BRFSS*

 

40
Women
30
Men
Ec
v
¢ 20
a
10
«Data restricted to the 25 states and D.C. for
which data were available for each of these years.
0 l L i L ! \ __
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994

Year

a

no light to moderate activity (walking or bicycling
for at least 30 minutes) during any of the 7 days
preceding the survey. Among 12- through 21-year-
olds surveyed in the 1992 NHIS-YRBS, the preva-
lence of inactivity in the previous week was 13.7
percent and was higher among females than males
(15.3 percentvs. 12.1 percent) (Table 5-9). Overall,
there was no difference among racial and ethnic
groups, but black females had a higher prevalence

189

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

than white females (20.2 percent vs. 13.7 percent).
For both males and females, inactivity increased
with age.

Similarly, in the 1995 school-based YRBS, the
prevalence of inactivity in the previous week was
10.4 percent (Table 5-9) and was higher among
females than males (13.8 percent vs. 7.3 percent).
The prevalence was higher among black students
than white students (15.3 percent vs. 9.3 percent)
and among black females than white females (21.4
percent vs. 11.6 percent). Among female high school
students, a substantial increase in inactivity was
reported in the upper grades.

Thus the Healthy People 2000 goal for inactivity
has been met for adolescents overall but not for black
females or for young adults.

Vigorous Physical Activity

Healthy People 2000 objective 1.4 (USDHHS 1990)
proposes to increase to at least 75 percent the pro-
portion of children and adolescents aged 6-17 years
who engage in vigorous physical activity that pro-
motes cardiorespiratory fitness 3 days or more per
week for 20 minutes or more per occasion. In the
1992 NHIS-YRBS, 53.7 percent of 12- through 21-
year-olds reported having exercised or taken part in
sports that made them “sweat and breathe hard”
during 3 or more of the 7 days preceding the survey
(Table 5-10). However, one-fourth reported no vig-
orous activity during the same time period.
Prevalences of vigorous activity were higher among
males than females (60.2 percent vs. 47.2 percent)
and among white youths than Hispanic youths (54.6
percent vs. 49.5 percent) (Table 5-10). Vigorous
physical activity declined with age. Among males,
the prevalence of vigorous activity was at least 60
percent for those aged 12-17 years but was lower at
older ages (e.g., 42.2 percent among 21-year-olds).
Among females aged 12-14 years, the prevalence
was at least 60 percent but was lower at older ages
(e.g., 30.2 percent among 21-year-olds). The preva-
lence of vigorous activity was associated positively
with income and was higher during the spring than
during other seasons.

In the 1995 YRBS, 63.7 percent of students in
grades 9-12 reported having exercised or taken part
in sports that made them “sweat and breathe hard”
for at least 20 minutes during 3 or more of the 7 days
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-9. Percentage of young people reporting no participation in vigorous or moderate physical activity
during any of the 7 days preceding the survey, by demographic group, 1992 National Health
Interview Survey-Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NHIS-YRBS) and 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

   

(YRBS), United States
Demographic group 1992 NHIS-YRBS* 1995 YRBS*
Overall 13.7. (12.9, 14.5) 10.4 (9.0, 11.9)
Sex
Males 12.1. (11.0, 13.2) 7.3 (6.5, 8.1)
Females 15.3 (14.1, 16.5) 13.8 (11.2, 16-3)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 13.4 (12.4, 14.5) 9.3. (7.9, 10.7)
Males 13.1 (11.7, 14.6) 7.3 (6.4, 8.1)
Females 13.7. (12.4, 15.1) 11.6 (8.7, 14.4)
Black, non-Hispanic 14.7. (12.7, 16.6) 15.3 (12.4, 18.2)
Males : 9.2 (6.9, 11.5) 8.1 (5.4, 10.7)
Females 20.2 (17.0, 23.5) 21.4 (16.9, 25.8)
Hispanic 14.3 (12.4, 16.3) 11.3. (8.6, 14.1)
Males 11.1. (8.4, 13.8) 7.5 (5.1, 9.9)
Females 17.8 (14.9, 20.7) 15.0 (10.6, 19.5)
Age (years) Grade in school
Males Males
12 7.7. (5.1, 10.2)
13 6.0 (3.6, 8.3)
14 3.6 (2.1, 5.1)
15 6.3 (3.7, 8-9) 9 6.0 (3.4, 8.7)
16 9.6 (6.8, 12.4) 10 5.2 (3.0, 7-4)
17 10.5 (7.2, 13.9} 1 7.9 (4.3, 11.4)
18 18.8 (14.4, 23.3} 12 10.0 (7.4, 12-5)
19 18.6 (14.7, 22.5}
20 22.3 (17.9, 26.8)
21 18.1 (14.3, 21.9)
Females Females
12 8.4 (5.2, 11.5)
13 6.8 (4.4, 9.2)
14 8.3. (5.1, 11.5)
15 9.8 (7.0, 12.6} 9 8.7. (6.1, 11.3)
16 14.4 (10.9, 17.9) 10 9.2 (7.3, 11.0)
17 16.8 (13.2, 20.3) 11 17.8 (13.6, 22.0)
18 18.7 (14.5, 22.8) 12 18.5 (13.3, 23-7)
19 22.3 (18.1, 26.5)
20 25.0 (21.0, 28.9)
21 19.6 (16.4, 22.9)
Annual family income
< $10,000 14.9 (12.6, 17.3)
$10,000-19,999 16.0 (14.1, 17.9)
$20,000-34,999 12.2 (10.6, 13.8)
$35,000-49,999 13.8 (11.6, 15.9}
$50,000+ 11.2 (9.8, 12.7)

  
   

   

 

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS-YRBS, 1992 machine readable data file and

documentation, 1993, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
YRBS 1995 data tape (in press).

*A national household-based survey of youths aged 12-21 years.
+A national school-based survey of students in grades 9-12.
#95% confidence intervals.

190
Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

Table 5-10. Percentage of young people reporting participation in vigorous physical activity during 3 or more
of the 7 days preceding the survey, by demographic group, 1992 National Health Interview
Survey-Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NHIS-YRBS) and 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS),
United States

Demographic group 1992 NHIS-YRBS* 1995 YRBS*
Overall 53.7 (52.5, 54.9)" 63.7 (60.4, 66.9)
Sex
Males 60.2 (58.6, 61.8) 74.4 (72.1, 76.6)
Females 47.2 (45.6, 48.8) 52.1 (47.5, 56.8)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 54.6 (53.2, 56.0) 67.0 (62.6, 71.4)
Males 60.2 (58.4, 62.0) 76.0 (73.0, 78.9)
Females 49.0 (46.8, 51.2) 56.7 ( 50.0, 63.4)
Black, non-Hispanic 52.6 (49.9, 55.3) 53.2 (49.6, 56.8)
Males 62.7 (58.8, 66.6) 68.1 (62.8, 73.4)
Females , 42.3 (38.6, 46.0) 41.3 (35.5, 42.1)
Hispanic 49.5 (46.6, 52.4) 57.3 (53.7, 60.9)
Males 56.7 (52.6, 60.8) 69.7 (64.9, 74.5)
Females 41.7 (38.2, 45.2) 45.2 (39.9, 50.6)
Age (years) Grade in school
Males Males
42 70.8 (66.7, 74.9)
13 73.7 (69.4, 78.0)
14 76.1 (72.2, 80.0)
15 72.6 (68.1, 71.1) 9 80.8 (75.9, 85.6)
16 65.6 (60.3, 70.9) 10 75.9 (72.5, 79.3)
17 60.2 (54.7, 65.7) 11 70.2 (67.5, 72.9)
18 48.4 (43.1, 53.7) 42 66.9 (63.0, 70.7)
19 44.1 (38.4, 49.8)
20 43.4 (38.5, 48.3)
21 42.2 (37.1, 47.3)
Females Females
12 66.2 (62.1, 70.3)
13 63.1 (58.0, 68.2)
14 63.1 (58.4, 67.8)
15 56.6 (51.9, 61.3) 9 60.9 (54.8, 67.0)
16 50.9 (45.6, 56.2) 10 54.4 (47.6, 61.3)
17 43.6 (38.1, 49.1) 11 44.7 (40.6, 48.9)
18 37.5 (32.2, 42.8) 12 41.0 (34.6, 47.5)
19 32.6 (27.3, 37.9)
20 28.2 (23.9, 32.5)
21 30.2 (25.5, 34.9)
Annual family income
< $10,000 46.7 (43.2, 50.2)
$10,000-19,999 48.5 (46.0, 51.1)
$20,000-34,999 55.0 (52.5, 57.6)
$35,000-49,999 58.4 (55.5, 61.3}
$50,000+ 60.2 (57.9, 62.6)

 

ne
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS-YRBS, 1992 machine readable data file and
documentation, 1993; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nationa! Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
YRBS 1995 data tape (in press).

*A national household-based survey of youths aged 12-21 years.

+A national school-based survey of students in grades 9-12.

*95% confidence intervals.

191
Physical Activity and Health

preceding the survey (Table 5-10). However, 16.0
percent reported no vigorous physical activity dur-
ing the same time period. Subgroup patterns were
similar to those reported for the NHIS-YRBS. Vigor-
ous physical activity was more common among male
than female students (74.4 percent vs. 52.1 percent)
and among white than black or Hispanic students
(67 percent VS. 53.2 percent and 57.3 percent, re-
spectively). Among both male and female students,
vigorous activity was less common in the upper
grades. From 1991 through 1995, the overall preva-
lence did not change significantly among students in
grades 9-12 (data not shown).

NHIS-YRBS and YRBS data clearly show that the
prevalence of vigorous physical activity among young
people falls short of the Healthy People 2000 goal of
75 percent.

Other Physical Activity

Healthy People 2000 objective 1.6 (USDHHS 1990)
aims for at least 40 percent of people aged 6 and older
to regularly perform physical activities that enhance
and maintain muscular strength, muscular endur-
ance, and flexibility. The 1992 NHIS-YRBS indicated
that 45.6 percent of 12- through 21-year-olds had
participated in strengthening or toning activities (€.g.,
push-ups, sit-ups, oF weight lifting) during at least 3
of the 7 days preceding the survey (Table 5-11). These
activities were more common among, males than
females (54.6 percent vs. 36.4 percent) and among
white and Hispanic youths than black youths (46.4
percent and 45.4 percent, respectively, vs. 39.8 per-
cent). Among both males and females, the prevalence
of strengthening or toning activities decreased as age
increased and was greater among young people living
in households with higher incomes.

Similar to the NHIS-YRBS, the 1995 YRBS indi-
cated that 50.3 percent of students in grades 9-12 had
participated in strengthening or toning activities dur-
ing at least 3 of the 7 days preceding the survey (Table
5-11). Subgroup patterns were similar to those re-
ported for the 1992 NHIS-YRBS. Male students were
more likely than female students to participate in
strengthening OT toning activities (59.1 percent vs.
41.0 percent), and white students were more likely
than black students to do so (52.8 percent vs. 41.4
percent). Among female students, participation was
greater among those in lower grades, but this practice

192

did not vary by grade among male students. Between
1991 and 1995, the overall prevalence of strengthening
or toning activities among students in grades 9-12 did
not change (data not shown).

In the 1992 NHIS-YRBS, 48.0 percent of 12-
through 21-year-olds reported having participated
in stretching activities (e.g., toe touching, knee bend-
ing, or leg stretching) during at least 3 of the 7 days
preceding the survey. White and Hispanic youths
were more likely than black youths to report this
(49.2 percent and 48.5 percent, respectively, vs. 40.7
percent). Overall, the prevalence of stretching activi-
ties did not differ by sex, although these activities
were more common among black males than among
black females (44.9 percent vs. 36.5 percent). Among
both males and females, the prevalence was higherin
the younger age categories. Participation was also
higher with higher family income.

In the 1995 YRBS, 53.0 percent of students in
grades 9-12 reported having participated in stretch-
ing activities during at least 3 of the 7 days preceding
the survey (Table 5-12). Subgroup patterns were
generally similar to those reported for the NHIS-
YRBS. Similar proportions of male and female stu-
dents participated in stretching activities (55.5
percent and 50.4 percent, respectively), and white
students were more likely than black students to do
so (55.1 percent vs. 45.4 percent). Participation in
stretching activities declined across grades for both
male and female students. Between 1991 and 1995,
the overall prevalence among students in grades 9-12
did not change significantly (data not shown).

Thus the Healthy People 2000 objective for
strengthening and stretching activities has been met
overall among adolescents and young adults but not
among all subgroups.

Healthy People 2000 objective 1.3 (USDHHS
1990) proposes to increase to at least 30 percent the
proportion of people aged 6 and older who engage
regularly, preferably daily, in light to moderate physi-
cal activity for at least 30 minutes pet day. Walking
and bicycling can be used to measure light to mod-
erate physical activity among young people. In the
1992 NHIS-YRBS, 26.4 percent of 12- through 21-
year-olds reported having walked or bicycled for 30
minutes or more on at least 5 of the 7 days preceding
the survey (Table 5-13). These activities were more
common among males than females (29.1 percent
vs. 23.7 percent) and among Hispanic youths than
Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

Table 5-11. Percentage of young people reporting participation in strengthening or toning activities during 3 or
more of the 7 days preceding the survey, by demographic group, 1992 National Health Interview
Survey-Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NHIS-YRBS) and 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS),
United States

 

 

Demographic group 1992 NHIS-YRBS* 1995 YRBS*
Overall 45.6 (44.4, 46.8)* 50.3 (46.6, 54.0)
Sex
Males 54.6 (53.0, 56.2) 59.1 (56.1, 62.1)
Females 36.4 (34.8, 38.0) 41.0 (36.0, 46.0)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 46.4 (45.0, 47.8) 52.8 (47.2, 58.4)
Males 54.4 (52.6, 56.2) 60.3 (56.4, 64.2)
Females 38.4 (36.4, 40.4) 44.4 (36.4, 2.4)
Black, non-Hispanic 39.8 (37.5, 42.2) 41.4 (37.9, 45.0)
Males 53.2 (49.3, 57.1) 54.2 (49.7, 58.6)
Females 26.2 (23.1, 29.3) 31.3 (26.7, 35.9)
Hispanic 45.4 (42.5, 48.3) 47.4 (41.8, 53.1)
Males 53.3 (49.4, 57.2) 57.8 (51.9, 63.8)
Females 36.9 (33.2, 40.6) 37.4 (29.6, 45.2)
Age (years) Grade in school
Males Males
12 59.4 (54.7, 64.1)
13 66.3 (62.2, 70.4)
14 61.1 (56.0, 66.2)
15 66.6 (61.9, 71.3) 9 65.3 (58.0, 72.5)
16 61.3 (56.0, 66.6) 10 60.0 (55.8, 64.2)
17 53.9 (48.6, 59.2) 11 55.9 (52.5, 59.2)
18 46.0 (41.3, 50.7) 12 54.7 (49.7, 59.7)
19 45.2 (39.7, 50.7)
20 42.0 (37.5, 46.5)
21 40.5 (35.8, 45.2)
Females Females
12 43.9 (39.6, 48.2)
13 46.9 (41.6, 52.2)
14 47.6 (42.7, 52.5)
15 44.0 (39.1, 48.9) 9 51.3 (42.9, 59.8)
16 38.1 (33.6, 42.6) 10 45.6 (38.3, 53.0)
17 37.1 (32.0, 42.2) 11 31.0 (27.6, 34.3)
18 31.1 (25.6, 36.6) 12 30.0 (25.1, 34.9)
19 26.4 (22.1, 30.7)
20 26.3 (22.0, 30.6)
21 23.2 (19.3, 27.1)
Annual family income
<$10,000 36.4 (33.7, 39.1)
$10,000-$19,999 44.6 (41.9, 47.3)
$20,000-$34,999 46.5 (44.0, 49.1)
$35,000-$49,999 49.6 (46.7, 52.5)
$50,000+ 51.4 (49.1, 53.8)

 

 

 

 

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS-YRBS,1992 machine readable data file and
documentation, 1993; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
YRBS 1995 data tape (in press).

*A national household-based survey of youths aged 12-21 years.
‘A national school-based survey of students in grades 9-12.
*95% confidence intervals.

193
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-12. Percentage of young people reporting participation in stretching activities during 3 or more
of the 7 days preceding the survey, by demographic group, 1992 National Health Interview
Survey-Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NHIS-YRBS) and 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

(YRBS), United States

Demographic group 1992 NHIS-YRBS* 1995 YRBS*
Overall 48.0 (46.8, 49.2) 53.0 (49.9, 56.2)
Sex
Males 48.2 (46.6, 49.8) 55.5 (52.3, 38.7)
Females 47.9 (46.3, 49.5) 50.4 (46.6, 54.3)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 49.2 (47.8, 50.6) 55.1 (50.8, 59.3)
Males 48.0 (46.0, 50.0) 56.1 (52.1, 60.1)
Females 50.4 (48.4, 52.4) 53.9 (48.2; 59.5)
Black, non-Hispanic 40.7 (38.0, 43.4) 45.4 (41.7, 49.0)
Males 44.9 (41.0, 48.8) 50.5 (45.0, 55.9)
Females 36.5 (32.8, 40.2) 41.5 (36.6, 46.3
Hispanic 48.5 (45.8, 51.2) 49.1 (45.0, 53.2)
Males 49.9 (46.0, 53.8) 54.8 (50.1, 59.6)
Females 47.0 (43.3, 50.7) 43.5 (37.6, 49.5)
Age (years) Grade in school
Males Males
12 55.4 (50.5, 60.3)
13 62.0 (57.3, 66.7)
14 57.9 (53.2, 62.6)
15 56.1 (51.0, 61.2) 9 65.7 (58.9, 72.6)
16 54.0 (48.7, 59.3) 10 51.1 (47.8, 54.4)
17 48.2 (42.9, 53.5) 11 52.9 (48.1, 57.6)
18 36.2 (31.1, 41.3) 12 49.8 (42.0, 57.7)
19 36.7 (32.0, 41.4)
20 32.9 (28.4, 37.4)
21 38.5 (33.4, 43.6)
Females Females
12 62.5 (58.0, 67.0)
13 62.5 (57.2, 67.8)
14 61.6 (56.7, 66.5)
15 57.9 (53.0, 62.8) 9 59.9 (52.8, 67.0)
16 52.0 (47.1, 56.9) 10 55.8 (49.6, 61.9)
17 42.0 (37.1, 46.9) 1 39.5 (33.7, 45.3)
18 38.5 (33.0, 44.0) 12 38.4 (32.7, 44.1)
19 33.1 (28.0, 38.2)
20 33.9 (29.6, 38.2)
21 35.0 (30.9, 39.1)
Annual family income
< $10,000 40.8 (37.7, 43.9)
$10,000-$19,999 44.5 (41.8, 47.2)
$20,000-$34,999 48.2 (45.9, 50.6)
$35,000-$49,999 51.9 (49.2, 54.6)

$50,000+ 54.2 (51.7,

   
 

       

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS-YRBS, 1992 machine readable data
file and documentation, 1993; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion, YRBS 1995 data tape (in press).

*A national household-based survey of youths aged 12-21 years.

tA national school-based survey of students in grades 9-12.

95% confidence intervals.

194
Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

Table 5-13. Percentage of young people reporting participation in walking or bicycling for 30 minutes or more
during 5 or more of the 7 days preceding the survey, by demographic group, 1992 National Health
Interview Survey-Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NHIS-YRBS) and 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS), United States

 

Demographic group 1992 NHIS-YRBS* 1995 YRBS*
Overall 26.4 (25.4, 27.4) 21.1 (18.7, 23.5)
Sex
Males 29.1. (27.5, 30.7) 21.6 (18.4, 24.8)
Females 23.7 (22.3, 25.1) 20.5 (17.8, 23.2)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 25.1 (23.9, 26.3) 18.3 (15.0, 21.6)
Males 27.5 (25.7, 29.3) 19.7. (15.5, 23.8)
Females 22.7 (21.1, 24.3) 16.8 (13.9, 19.8)
Black, non-Hispanic 26.9 (24.6, 29.2) 27:0 (23.2, 30.9)
Males 29.8 (26.7, 32.9) 27.2 (23.2, 31.2)
Females 23.9 (20.2, 27.6) 26.4 (20.8, 32.0)
Hispanic 32.3 (29.8, 34.9) 26.8 (22.6, 31.0)
Males 35.5 (31.6, 39.4) 26.0 (19.9, 32.1)
Females 28.8 (25.5, 32.1) 27.6 (23.8, 31.5)
Age (years) . Grade in school
Males Males
12 38.9 (34.6, 43.2)
13 37.3 (32.4, 42.2)
14 35.3 (31.2, 39.4)
15 33.9 (29.0, 38.8) 9 27.9 (22.1, 33.7)
16 29.9 (25.6, 34.2) 10 21.7 (17.8, 25.6)
17 22.2 (17.7, 26.7) ou 19.2 (16.2, 22.1)
18 23.3 (18.6, 28.0) 12 17.7 (13.1, 22.3)
19 21.3 (17.2, 25.4)
20 22.0 (17.9, 26.1)
21 23.3 (19.0, 27.6)
Females Females
12 32.2 (28.1, 36.3)
13 28.5 (24.0, 33.0)
14 28.7 (23.8, 33.6)
15 22.9 (18.8, 27.0) 9 22.5 (18.5, 26.5)
16 22.9 (18.8, 27.0) 10 22.8 (18.5, 27.2)
17 19.4 (15.5, 23.3) 11 16.8 (13.3, 20.3)
18 20.1 (16.0, 24.2) 12 16.1 (11.6, 20.6)
19 18.8 (14.5, 23.1)
20 20.8 (16.7, 24.9)
21 22.1 (18.4, 25.8)
Annual family income
< $10,000 27.8 (25.1, 30.5)
$10,000-$19,999 29.5 (26.8, 32.2)
$20,000-$ 34,999 27.6 (25.2, 30.0)
$35,000-$49,999 25.5 (23.2, 27.9)
$50,000+ 23.5 (21.5, 25.5)

 

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS-YRBS, 1992 machine readable data file and
documentation, 1993; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
YRBS 1995 data tape (in press).

*A national household-based survey of youths aged 12-21 years.

tA national school-based survey of students in grades 9-12.

*95% confidence intervals.

195
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-14. Percentage of young people reporting participation in selected physical activities during 1 or more
of the 7 days preceding the survey, by demographic group, 1992 National Health Interview Survey-

_ Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NHIS-YRBS),* United States
Aerobics Baseball, softball, Basketball, football,
Demographic group or dancing or Frisbee® or soccer
Overall 38.2 (37.1, 39.2) 22.4 (21.4, 23.4) 45.8 (44.6,47.1)
Sex
Males 22.6 (21.3, 24.0) 27.2 (25.7, 28.8) 61.7 (60.1, 63.3)
Females 53.9 (52.4,55.5) 17.5 (16.4, 18.7) 29.7 (28.2, 31.3)

Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic
Black, non-Hispanic

35.0 (33.7, 36.2)
49.4 (46.6,52.1)

a

23.6 (22.3, 24.9)
16.6 (14.3, 18.9)

.

44.7 (43.1,46.2)
49.5 (46.7, 52.3)

Hispanic 42.0 (39.0, 45.0) 23.4 (21.1,25.7) 47.1 (44.4, 49.8)
Age (years)

Males
12 26.9 (22.5, 31.2) 46.4 (41.6,51.3) 81.2 (77.4, 85.0)
13 23.4 (19.6, 27.3) 40.6 (35.8,45.3) 84.3 (80.8, 87.9)
14 22.0 (18.4, 25.7) 40.9 (36.6, 45.2) 78.5 (74.3,82.6)
15 21.9 (17.7, 26.1) 25.6 (21.0, 30.3) 76.7 (72.5, 81.0)
16 24.5 (20.2, 28.9) 27.4 (22.9,31.9) 69.6 (64.5, 74.6)
17 20.8 (16.8, 24.6) 22.5 (18.1, 26.9) 59.3 (54.2, 64.3)
18 19.0 (14.9, 23.1) 20.8 (16.3, 25.2) 54.6 (49.1, 60.0)
19 24.0 (19.6, 28.4) 17.5 (13.8, 21.2) 43.8 (38.5, 49.0)
20 21.2 (17.2, 25.2) 17.0 (13.3, 20.8) 38.5 (33.9,43.2)
21 21.4 (17.2, 25.7) 15.6 (12.1,19.1) 32.4 (27.6, 37.1)

Females
12 63.1 (58.7, 67.5) 37.9 (33.4,42.5) 62.6 (57.6, 67.6)
13 63.7 (59.5, 67.9) 30.3 (26.2, 34.3) 61.6 (56.9, 66.3)
14 63.7 (59.0, 68.3) 29.1 (24.7, 33.5) 51.9 (46.8, 57.1)
15 62.0 (57.5, 66.4) 22.6 (18.3, 26.9) 41.6 (37.2,46.1)
16 55.7 (50.5, 60.9) 16.0 (12.3, 19.6) 28.0 (23.3, 32.6)
17 54.0 (48.8, 59.2) 10.2. (7.4,13.1) 23.4 (19.0, 27.7)
18 50.3 (45.2,55.5) 11.4 (7.3,15.4) 13.8 (10.2, 17.4)
19 44.8 (39.1,50.4) 6.9 (4.4, 9.3) 8.5 (6.0, 11.0)
20 40.7 (36.2,45.2) 7.6 (4.8,10.4) 6.9 (4.7, 9.1)
21 45.6 (41.0, 50.2) 8.4 (5.9, 10.9) 7.5 (5.2, 9.8)

 

white or black youths (32.3 percent vs. 25.1 percent
and 26.9 percent, respectively). Walking or bicy-
cling decreased as age increased and was more preva-
lent in the fall than in other seasons.

In the 1995 YRBS, 21.1 percent of students in
grades 9-12 reported having walked or bicycled for
30 minutes or more on at least 5 of the 7 days
preceding the survey (Table 5-13). Male and female
students reported similar prevalences of these activi-
ties. Black and Hispanic students were more likely

196

 

than white students to have walked or bicycled (27.0
percent and 26.8 percent, respectively, vs. 18.3 per-
cent). Between 1993 and 1995, the overall preva-
lence among students in grades 9-12 did not change
significantly (data not shown).

It thus appears that the Healthy People 2000
objective for light to moderate physical activity has
not been attained by adolescents and young adults.

The 1992 NHIS-YRBS provided information on
participation in seven additional types of physical
Table 5-14. Continued

House cleaning or yard
work for > 30 minutes

Running, jogging,
or swimming

82.8 (81.7, 83.8)

78.1 (76.6, 79.5)
87.5 (86.3, 88.7)

83.1 (81.9, 84.3)
84.2 (81.9, 86.5)
80.1 (77.9, 82.4)

76.9 (72.9, 81.0)
83.3 (80.1, 86.5)
79.4 (75.5, 83.4)
82.9 (79.3, 86.5)

55.3 (54.1, 56.6)

57.6 (55.9,59.3)
53.0 (51.4, 54.7)

55.8 (54.3, 57.3)
52.4 (49.5,55.3)
53.6 (50.9, 56.4)

72.8 (68.3,77.3)
74.3 (70.1, 78.4)
71.2 (66.8, 75.6)
70.8 (66.5, 75.1)

79.6 (75.7, 83.6)
78.7 (74.5, 82.9)
70.9 (65.9, 75.9)
75.0 (69.6, 80.4)
74.4 (70.3, 78.5)
77.6 (73.7, 81.5)

63.4 (58.8, 68.1)
55.3 (49.9, 60.7)
47.4 (42.2,52.5)
46.3 (41.3,51.2)
34.4 (29.9, 38.9)
39.8 (34.1, 45.5)

88.0 (84.8, 91.2)

( 80.5 (76.4, 84.5)
88.1 (85.1, 91.1

(

(

76.2 (72.1, 80.3)
72.9 (68.6, 77.2)
65.4 (60.7, 70.1)
59.7 (54.8, 64.6)
49.0 (43.5,54.4)
41.5 (35.8,47.3)
32.9 (27.8, 38.0)
30.8 (25.8, 35.7)
30.3 (26.0, 34.6)

)
87.2 (83.9, 90.4)
88.5 (85.3, 91.7)
89.1 (85.7, 92.5)
86.0 (82.6, 89.4)
87.0 (83.4, 90.5)
82.6 (78.1, 87.1)
87.1 (83.0, 917.2)
89.8 (86.2, 93.4)

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

Skating, skiing,
or skateboarding

Tennis, raquetball,

13.3 (12.5, 14.0)

15.9 (14.8, 17.0)
10.6 (9.6, 11.5)

15.2 (14.2, 16.2)
9.0 (7.3,10.8)
9.8 (8.2,11.5)

32.5 (27.8, 37.3)
26.2 (22.1, 30.3)
20.7 (16.9, 24.5)
19.9 (15.9, 23.9)

or squash

10.5 (9.8, 11.2)

11.7 (10.7, 12.8)
9.3 (8.4,10.2)

11.4 (10.6, 12.3)
5.4 (4.2, 6.6)
8.0 (6.7, 9.4)

14.4 (10.8, 18.0)
13.3 (10.3, 16.4)
14.5 (11.3, 17.8)
15.3 (11.7, 18.9)

13.4 (10.0, 16.8) 10.4 (7.4,13.3)
12.2 (8.6,15.7) 11.3 (8.0, 14.6)
9.4 (6.3,12.4) 11.6 (8.3, 14.9)
10.8 (7.7,14.0) 9.9 (6.9, 12.8)
8.6 (6.1, 11.2) 8.2 (5.5, 10.8)
5.9 (3.8, 7.9) 9.5 (6.5,12.5)

24.9 (20.5, 29.3) 13.9 (10.5, 17.3)
19.7 (16.1, 23.4) 12.4 (9.2,15.6)
14.8 (11.6, 18.0) 13.0 (10.0, 15.9)

10.0 (7.0,12.9) 16.1 (12.6, 19.6)
8.9 (6.2, 11.7) 11.1. (8.0, 14.2)
4.8 (2.7, 6.8) 8.0 (5.4,10.5)
8.1 (5.5, 10.7) 6.9 (4.4, 9.5)
6.6 (4.1, 9.1) 3.8 (2.1, 5.4)
5.8 (3.5, 8.0) 5.8 (3.6, 8.0)
4.8 (3.1, 6.6) 4.1 (2.2, 5.9)

 

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, NHIS-YRBS, 1992 machine readable data file and

documentation, 1993.

“A national household-based survey of youths aged 12-21 years.
*95% confidence intervals. .

activity during 1 or more of the 7 days preceding the
survey: aerobics or dancing; baseball, softball, or
Frisbee®!: basketball, football, or soccer; house clean-
ing or yard work for at least 30 minutes; running,
jogging, or swimming for exercise; skating, skiing,

 

‘Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply
endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

197

or skateboarding; and tennis, racquetball, or
squash (Table 5-14). Among 12- through 21-year-
olds, males were more likely than females to
participate in baseball, softball, or Frisbee®; in
basketball, football, or soccer; in running, jogging,
or swimming for exercise; in skating, skiing, or
skateboarding; and in tennis, racquetball, or squash.
Physical Activity and Health

Table 5-15. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 reporting enrollment in physical education class, daily
attendance in physical education class, and participation in exercise or sports for at least
20 minutes during an average physical education class, by demographic group, 1995 Youth
Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS),” United States

Enrolled in Attended physical Exercised or played sports

Demographic group
Overall

Sex
Males
Females

Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic
Males
Females

Black, non-Hispanic
Males
Females

Hispanic
Males
Females

Grade in school
Males
9
10
11
12

Females
9
10
1
12

physical education

59.6 (48.6, 70.5)*

62.2 (52.5, 71.8)
56.8 (44.1, 69.6)

62.9 (49.8, 76.1)
64.2 (52.6, 75.8)
61.7 (46.4, 77.0)

50.2 (45.1, 55.3)
56.8 (50.6, 62.9)
44.4 (37.3, 51.5)

51.0 (40.9, 61.2)
57.6 (48.6, 66.6)
44.6 (31.2, 58.0)

80.5 (75.1, 85.9)
72.6 (62.3, 82.8)
51.5 (32.8, 70.1)
45.4 (29.0, 61.9)

80.8 (73.8, 87.8)
71.4 (59.3, 83.5)
41.2 (22.8, 59.6)
39.1 (20.9, 57.2)

education daily

25.4 (15.8, 34.9)

27.0 (16.8, 37.2)
23.5 (14.5, 32.4)

21.7 (9.9, 33.5)
23.3 (11.2, 35.3)
19.9 (8.0, 31.8)

33.8 (29.9, 37.8)
37.7 (32.3, 43.0)
30.1 (25.8, 34.5)

33.1 (24.5, 41.8)
36.2 (28.8, 43.6)
30.1 (18.7, 41.5)

42.1 (23.3, 60.8)
34.8 (18.9, 50.8)
17.4 (9.3, 25.6)
14.8 (9.2, 20.4)

39.7 (21.5, 58.0)
33.8 (17.4, 50.3)
12.3 (7.6, 17.1)
11.1 (6.5, 15.7)

ee
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Diseas

tape (in press).

e Prevention and Health Promotion, YRBS 1995 data

“A national school-based survey of students in grades 9-12.
* Among students enralled in physical education.

#95% confidence intervals.

Females were more likely than males to participate
in aerobics or dancing and in house cleaning or
yard work for at least 30 minutes. White youths
were more likely than black or Hispanic youths to
participate in skating, skiing, or skateboarding and
in tennis, racquetball, or squash. For both males
and females, increasing age was associated with
decreasing participation in baseball, softball, or
Frisbee®: in basketball, football, or soccer; in run-
ning, jogging, Or swimming for exercise; and in

skating, skiing, or skateboarding. For fe

ticipation in aerobics or dancing and in tennis,

> 20 minutes per class’

69.7 (66.4, 72.9)

74.8 (71.8, 77.8)
63.7 (59.3, 68.1)

71.3 (67.0, 75.6)
74.8 (71.1, 78.5)
67.1 (60.5, 73.8)

59.0 (54.6, 63.3)
71.8 (65.9, 77.8)
46.6 (39.3, 53.8)

68.5 (62.8, 74.1)
76.0 (67.0, 85.0)
59.0 (52.5, 65.6)

76.5 (72.2, 80.9)
73.1 (67.9, 78.3)
75.8 (70.3, 81.2)
73.7 (68.1, 79.3)

65.6 (57.2, 74.1)
63.9 (58.8, 68.9)
57.2 (48.4, 66.0)
66.0 (59.7, 72.4)

racquetball, or squash also decreased by age.

Physical Education in High School

The YRBS provides data on enrollment
attendance in sc

198

males, par-

and daily
hool physical education for students
in grades 9-12. (See Chapter 6 for a discus
availability of ph

sion of the
ysical education programs.) In 1995,
Table 5-16. Percentage of

students in grades 9-12 reporting participation on at lea
school or by other organizations during the
1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS),* United States

year preceding the survey,

Patterns and Trends in Physical Activity

st one sports team run by a
by demographic group,

 

Participation on sports

Participation on sports team
run by other organization

 

 

Demographic group team run by a school
Overall 50.3 (46.6, 54.0)"
Sex
Males 57.8 (53.7, 62.0)
Females 42.4 (38.6, 46.2)
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 53.9 (49.6, 58.2)
Males 59.9 (54.8, 65.0)
Females 47.1 (43.0, 51.2)

Black, non-Hispanic

45.0 (39.9, 50.2)

Males 57.9 (52.6, 63.2)
Females 34.9 (28.2, 41.7)
Hispanic 37.8 (33.6, 42.0)
Males 48.6 (44.0, 53.2)
Females 27.3 (21.9, 32.7)

Grade in school

Males
9 61.7 (54.0, 6° -)
10 55.6 (50.1. +.1)
11 56.0 (49 ~, 62.4)
12 58.3 (© _.0, 64.6)
Females
9 ~4$.7 (39.2, 48.2)
10 47.9 (42.8, 53.0)
"1 39.4 (32.1, 46.7)
12 38.8 (32.4, 45.1)

 

36.9 (34.4, 39.4)

46.4 (43.4, 49.3)
26.8 (24.2, 29.4)

39.1 (35.7, 42.5)
47.2 (43.0, 51.4)
29.9 (26.8. 32.9)

32.4 (29.0, 35.9)
46.8 (42.4, 51.1)
21.1 (16.5, 25.8)

32.0 (28.5, 35.6)
43.2 (37.9, 48.4)
21.2 (16.5, 25.9)

52.8 (47.0, 58.7)
46.9 (42.4, 51.4)
43.1 (40.6, 45.7)
42.8 (39.2, 46.3)

32.0 (28.2, 35.9)
32.4 (26.8, 38.0)
23.8 (19.9, 27.6)
19.8 (15.2, 24.3)

Source: Centers for Disease Control an¢ . evention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, YRBS 1995 data

tape (in press).

“A national school-based survey of — cr >! in grades 9-12.
*95% confidence intervals.

59.6 percent of siudents in grades 9-12 were enrolled in
-nysical education (Tab‘e 5-15). Enrollment did not
vary by sex or rac’ - .uracity, butit decreased by grade.
Between 1991 an-a 19% 5, overall enrollment in physical
education among <«‘udents in grades 9-12 did not
change significantl: (data not shown).

Healthy Peo: .e 2000 objective 1.8 (USDHHS
1990) recommc ads increasing to at least 50 percent
the propoition xf children and adolescents in grades 1—
12 no participate in daily school physical education.
_ne 1995 YRBS indicated that daily attendance in

199

physical education among high school students was
25.4 percentand did not vary by sex or race/ethnicity
(Table 5-15). Daily attendance decreased with in-
creasing grade for both male and female students.
Between 1991 and 1995, overall daily attendance in
physical education classes in grades 9-12 decreased
significantly, from 41.6 percent to 25.4 percent (data
not shown). Current trend data thus indicate that the
Healthy People 2000 goal of 50 percent has not been
attained and is also becoming more distant.
Healthy People 2000 objective 1.9 (USDHHS
1990) recommends that students be active for at
Physical Activity and Health

least 50 percent of the class time they spend in
physical education. In 1995, 69.7 percent of stu-
dents in grades 9-12 who were taking physical
education reported being physically active for at
least 20 minutes, which is about half ofa typical
class period (Table 5-15). This active parucipa-
tion was more common among male students than
female students (74.8 percent VS. 63.7 percent)
and among white students than black students
(71.3 percent vs. 59.0 percent). Between 1991 and
1995, the overall percentage of students in grades
9-12 taking physical education who reported be-
ing physically active for at least 20 minutes de-
creased from 80.7 percent to 69.7 percent (data
not shown). Decreases between 1991 or 1993 and
1995 occurred for students in all grades. Thus a
decreasing proportion of the high school students
who are enrolled in physical education classes are
meeting the Healthy People 2000 goal for time
spent being physically active in class.

Only 18.6 percent of all high school students
were physically active for at least 20 minutes on a
daily basis in physical education classes (data not
shown).

Sports Team Participation

The YRBS provides data on participation on sports
teams during the 12 months preceding the survey
for students in grades 9-12. In 1995, 50.3 percent
of students participated on sports teams run by a
school, and 36.9 percent participated on sports
teams run by other organizations (Table 5-16).
Participation on sports teams run by a school was
more common among male students than female
students (57.8 percent Vs. 42.4 percent) and among
white students than Hispanic students (53.9 per-
cent vs. 37.8 percent). Between 1991 and 1995,
participation on sports teams run by a school in-
creased significantly among high school students
overall, from 43.5 percent to 50.3 percent (data not
shown). Specific increases were identified among
female students, white and black students, and
students in grades 11 and 12.

Participation on sports teams run by other orga-
nizations besides a school was more common among
male students than female students (46.4 percent
vs. 26.8 percent) and among white students than
Hispanic students (39.1 percent vs. 32.0 percent).

Between 1991 and 1995, overall participation among
students in grades 9-12 on sports teams run by
other organizations did not change significantly
(data not shown).

Conclusions
Adults

1.

Approximately 15 percent of U.S. adults engage
regularly (3 umes a week for at least 20 minutes)
in vigorous physical activity during leisure time.

Approximately 22 percent of adults engage regu-
larly (5 times a week for at least 30 minutes) in
sustained physical activity of any intensity dur-
ing leisure time.

About 25 percent of adults report no physical
activity in their leisure time.

Physical inactivity is more prevalent among
women than men, among blacks and Hispanics
than whites, 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

1.

Only about one-half of U.S. young people (ages
12-21 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 activ-
ity) nearly every day.

About 14 percent of young
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.

people report no

Males are more likely than females to participate
in vigorous physical activity, strengthening ac-
tivities, and walking or bicycling.

Participation in all types of physical activity
declines strikingly as age OF grade in school
increases.