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FACTS AND RESOURCES ON THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

(These facts are taken from publications of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Healthy People 2010 (HP2010); the National Center for Health Statistics; and Reports of the Surgeon General of the United States (SG); resources listed are published by HHS and health organizations.)

• Physical inactivity contributes to 300,000 preventable deaths a year in the United States. Some 40% of deaths in the United States are caused by behavior patterns that could be modified. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor across the spectrum of preventable diseases that lower the quality of life and kill Americans.

• Nearly half of American adults (4 in 10) report that they are not active at all; 7 in 10 are not moderately active for the recommended 30 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week.

• Moderate daily physical activity can reduce substantially the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, such as colon cancer. Daily physical activity helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, helps prevent or retard osteoporosis, and helps reduce obesity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and symptoms of arthritis.

• The Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health (1996) concluded that 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, 45 minutes of playing volleyball). Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity.

• Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes) is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. Physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as regularly active people. The health risk posed by physical inactivity is almost as high as risk factors such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

• Childhood and adolescence are pivotal times for preventing sedentary behavior among adults by maintaining the habit of physical activity throughout the school years.

• Obesity among children and teens has doubled in the past two decades; 13% of children ages 6-11 years old and 14% of those between 12 and 19 are obese.

• Type 2 diabetes, once called "adult onset" diabetes, and high blood pressure, once thought to be age-related, are now diagnosed in children and teens.

• Physical activity tops the list of Leading Health Indicators (LHI) in Healthy People 2010, the government's published health goals and objectives for the next decade.

• Poor diet and inactivity can lead to overweight/obesity. Persons who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and some types of cancer.

• The major barriers most people face when trying to increase physical activity are time, access to convenient facilities, and safe environments in which to be active.

• School-based and workplace based interventions have been shown to be successful in increasing physical activity levels.

• Physical activity among children and adolescents is important because of the related health benefits (cardio-respiratory function, blood pressure control, weight management, cognitive and emotional benefits).

• 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. About 14 percent report no recent vigorous or light-to-moderate activity.

• A physically active lifestyle adopted early in life may continue into adulthood. Even among children aged 3 and 4 years, those who were less active tended to remain less active than most of their peers after age 3 years. According to a study done by the National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping.

• One quarter of U.S. children spend 4 hours or more watching television daily.

• Young people are at particular risk for becoming sedentary as they grow older. Encouraging moderate and vigorous physical activity among youth is important. Because children spend most of their time in school, the type and amount of physical activity encouraged in schools are important.

• Only 20 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 engaged in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more of the previous 7 days in 1997.

• Only 29 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 participated in daily school physical education in 1999, down from 42 percent in 1991.

• Only 17 percent of middle and junior high school and 2 percent of senior high schools require daily physical activity for all students.

PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT HEALTH PROMOTION

The Department of Health and Human Services supports a number of programs to promote better health for Americans of all ages through physical activity. These programs were created to engage the public and community organizations in taking steps to promote and encourage increased physical activity.

• Healthy Communities Innovation Initiative. President Bush's fiscal year 2003 budget includes $20 million for a new Healthy Communities Innovation Initiative, an effort to bring together community-wide resources to help prevent diabetes, asthma and obesity. The initiative will fund demonstration projects in five communities to enhance access to services, encourage positive behavioral changes and improve community health. Given the relationship between physical inactivity and overweight and obesity, programs to increase physical activity will likely play an integral role.

• President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). The PCPFS serves as a catalyst to promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sports. The PCPFS advises the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on how to encourage more Americans to be physically fit and active. The President's Council offers several motivational programs that provide awards for consistent physical activity achievements (Presidential Sports Award and President's Challenge). More information is available at: www.indiana.edu/~preschal/ and www.aausports.org.

• Healthy People 2010. Healthy People 2010 is the prevention agenda for the nation, stating national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and establishing national goals to reduce these threats. One of the Healthy People 2010 objectives is improving Americans' health, fitness and quality of life through daily physical activity with goals established both for adults and for children. Click here for more information on Healthy People 2010.

• Leading Health Indicators. The first annual report on the state of the nation's health, as defined by the 10 leading health indicators, will be released this year. The 10 Leading Health Indicators were identified as part of the Healthy People 2010 process and include increasing levels of physical activity as one of the indicators. They represent the major public health concerns in the U.S. where individuals and communities can take action to realize significant health improvements. Click here for more information.

• Active Community Environments (ACEs) initiative. Through this initiative, CDC works with partners to promote the development of accessible recreation facilities, including more opportunities for walking and cycling. Projects include:
  • A partnership with the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program to promote the development and use of neighborhood parks and recreation facilities.
  • The development of a guidebook for public health practitioners to use in partnering with transportation and city-planning organizations to promote walking, cycling and neighborhood recreation facilities.
  • CDC's Kids Walk-to-School Program encourages children to walk to and from school in groups accompanied by adults. Walking to school helps children be more physically active, practice safe pedestrian skills, and learn about their environment.
  • The GreenStyles Survey, developed by CDC and the Environmental Protection Agency, assesses the effects of environmental, social and personal variables on walking and cycling.

    For more information on Active Community Environments click here.

• Hearts N' Parks. This national, community-based program is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at NIH and by the National Recreation and Park Association. It aims to reduce the growing trend of obesity and the risk of coronary heart disease by encouraging Americans of all ages to aim for a healthy weight, follow a heart-healthy eating plan and engage in regular physical activity. Click here for more information.

• Programs for older Americans. HHS works with numerous partners to promote physical activity among older adults. CDC and the National Institute on Aging at NIH have collaborated with AARP, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Geriatrics Society, the American Society on Aging, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Council on Aging to develop activities to increase physical activity among older adults, including the release of the National Blueprint: Increasing Physical Activity among Adults Aged 50 and Older. Information on the blueprint is available by clicking here.

• National Bone Health Campaign. HHS' Office on Women's Health, CDC and the National Osteoporosis Foundation launched the National Bone Health campaign to educate and encourage girls ages 9-12 years to establish lifelong healthy habits, especially increased calcium consumption and physical activity, that will help reduce their risk for osteoporosis later in life. Click here for more Information.

• Engaging the Health Care Sector. CDC has worked with the health care sector to support and encourage health care professionals in managed care and other health care settings to promote physical activity among patients or health plan members. Efforts include conferences and physical activity assessment and counseling tools that providers can use to encourage patients to be more active.

HHS SURVEILLANCE AND RESEARCH INTO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Surveillance activities related to physical activity are guided by the mission to understand and promote physical activity to enhance health and quality of life, focusing on both youth and adults. Examples include:

• Lower Direct Medical Costs Associated with Physical Activity. This is the first study ever to examine direct medical costs associated with various levels of physical activity by reviewing actual medical expenditures. The study found that Americans 15 years and older who engaged in regular physical activity - at least 30 minutes of moderate or strenuous physical activity three or more times a week - had average annual direct medical costs of $1,019 versus costs of $1,349 for those who were inactive. Click here for more information.

• World Health Organization (WHO)/CDC Collaborating Center on Physical Activity. CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) is designated as a WHO Collaborating Center on Physical Activity. In working with WHO, priority areas include surveillance, economic and policy analysis, physical activity program development, partnership development and collaboration, consensus and community guidelines and active community environments.

• Active Community Environments (ACEs) - Policy and Environmental Interventions. Through the ACEs initiative, CDC conducts research into issues including the effects of community designs, government policies, individual characteristics and environmental factors on physical activity levels.

• Bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This survey provides data on physical activity behaviors of high school students across the nation. These data are used to track Healthy People 2010 objectives related to youth physical activity. The survey also collects data on television watching, self-reported height and weight, and dieting behaviors.

• School Health Policies and Programs Study. Conducted in 1994 and 2000, this is the largest study of what schools are doing to influence the health of their students. It includes detailed information on the quantity of physical education required and the nature of physical education provided across the nation.

• Healthy Youth Funding Database. This online database provides information on federal, foundation and state-specific funding sources for school health programs. The database is available by clicking here.

• Enhanced Dissemination and Utilization Centers. Through this program, NHLBI partners with six community-based organizations to form the basis of a network of groups implementing targeted heart health education strategies to change local physician practices and patient behaviors. The organizations include a focus on physical activity as a way of improving cardiovascular health. Click here for more information.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. This report outlines strategies that communities can use in helping to address the health problems associated with overweight and obesity, including requiring physical education at all school grades, providing more healthy food options on school campuses, and providing safe and accessible recreational facilities for residents of all ages. Click here for more information.

• Physical Activity Evaluation Handbook. This resource outlines the six basic steps of evaluating physical activity programs for state and local agencies and community organizations and illustrates each step with program examples. Appendices provide information about physical activity indicators, practical case studies and additional evaluation resources. The handbook is available by clicking here.

• State-based Physical Activity Program Directory. CDC has compiled this web-based inventory of programs to promote physical activity with the involvement of state departments of health for use as a resource by groups also interested in promoting physical activity. It includes: information about program components, partners, settings, target populations, evaluation and products, and a profile of each state's efforts to promote physical activity.

• Bright Futures in Practice: Physical Activity. CDC, NHLBI, the National Association for Sports and Physical Education and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports along with other organizations and individual researchers partnered with the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH) to develop the Bright Futures in Practice: Physical Activity Guide, which provides developmental guidelines on physical activity for the periods of infancy through adolescence. Click here for more information.

• Physical Activity Guidelines for Infants & Toddlers. The National Association for Sports & Physical Education (NASPE) highlights the importance of physical activity for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. More information is available by clicking here.

• Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. This landmark 1996 report brought together the results of decades of research on physical activity and health. Among its findings were that physical activity need not be strenuous to produce benefits and that inactive people can improve their health by becoming moderately active on a regular basis. The report is available by clicking here.

• Physical Activity Recommendations from the Guide to Community Preventive Services. The Guide to Community Preventive Services provides recommendations that communities and health care systems can use to promote health and prevent disease, injury, disability and premature death. The guidelines include specific recommendations for how communities can encourage people to become more physically active. Click here for more information.

• Promoting Physical Activity: A Guide for Community Action. CDC produced this guide as a resource for professionals and volunteers who wish to promote physical activity in almost any setting - a community, a workplace, a school, a health care facility, an agency or a religious institution. Information on ordering the guide is available by clicking here.

• Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People. These guidelines identify strategies most likely to be effective in helping young people adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle. The guidelines were developed by CDC staff in collaboration with experts from other federal agencies, state agencies, universities, voluntary organizations and professional associations. Click here for more information.

• School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Self-Assessment and Planning Guide. This guide enables schools to identify strengths and weaknesses of their physical activity and nutrition policies and programs; develop an action plan for improving student health; and involve teachers, parents, students and the community in improving school services. Click here for more information.

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