Less then 30% People Exercising

The US government has just released a report that states that 7 in 10 adults do not regularly exercise and nearly 4 in 10 have a totally sedentary lifestyle. It appears that the warnings about the link between a sedentary lifestyle and various diseases have no effect on the people as there were no changes in the lifestyles of people from 1997 to 2001.

The National Center for Health Statistics released the report to mark World Health Day in an effort to prod Americans to become more active. Based on 68,000 household interviews in 1997 and 1998, the report states that only 30% of adults were regularly physically active. This is defined as a half-hour of light to moderate exercise five times a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times a week. 38% of Americans are not physically active at all.

The preliminary data for 2001 show virtually no change in the lifestyle habits of Americans, despite government efforts to prompt a healthier lifestyle. These findings are even more bleak when the alarming increase in the incidence of diabetes, especially among those in their 30s, is linked to the rise in obesity.