CDC wepụtara ọhụrụ: ihe iyi egwu ahụike America

More than 1 in 5 adults is inactive in all but four US states, according to new state maps of adult physical inactivity prevalence released by the Ụlọ Ọrụ nke Nchịkwa na Mgbochi Ọrịa (CDC). 

For these maps, physical inactivity for adults is defined as not participating in any physical activities outside of work over the last month – activities such as running, walking for exercise, or gardening.

State and territory-level estimates of physical inactivity range from 17.7% of people in Colorado to 49.4% in Puerto Rico. In seven states and one territory (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico), 30% or more of adults were physically inactive. By region, the South had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity (27.5%), followed by the Midwest (25.2%), Northeast (24.7%), and the West (21.0%).

“Getting enough physical activity could prevent 1 in 10 premature deaths,” said Ruth Petersen, MD, Director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. “Too many people are missing out on the health benefits of physical activity such as improved sleep, reduced blood pressure and anxiety, lowered risk for heart disease, several cancers, and dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease).

The new maps are based on combined 2017-2020 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an on-going state-based telephone interview survey conducted by CDC and state health departments. This is the first time that CDC has created state maps of physical inactivity for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native and non-Hispanic Asian adults.