Exercise
CDC Report Highlights States' Abilities to Support Physical Activity
By
May 25, 2010 - 10:29:06 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Many states do not have the policy or environmental measures in place to help their residents meet the recommended levels of physical activity to promote health, according to a report released today by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

The State Indicator Report on Physical Activity 2010 includes data about
individual behaviors related to physical activity, as well as the
presence or absence of physical features and policies that can make
being physically active either easy or hard to do.

The report looks at community access to parks or playgrounds, community
centers, and sidewalks or walking paths in neighborhoods. The data
showed substantial limits to the number of parks and other areas where
physical activity would be convenient.
According to the report, only 20 percent of blocks have parks within a
half mile of their boundaries, and only 17 percent of blocks have a
fitness or recreation center within that distance.

"Regular physical activity is essential to overall health and can also
help people maintain a healthy weight and reduce their risk for heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases," said CDC Director
Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "This state indicator report provides a
measure for a state's ability to support physical activity and shows
where a state has been successful and where more work may be needed."

The report also noted that only 17 percent of the nation's high school
students say they get at least an hour of physical activity each day,
the minimum recommended for this age group.

One underlying reason for adolescents' sedentary lifestyles may be the
lack of easy ways for youth to be physically active in their communities
and schools. Only 50 percent of young people reported having access to
parks, playgrounds, community centers, and sidewalks that make physical
activity convenient.

The report also finds that schools and childcare centers cannot be
counted on as a place where young people can get the physical activity
they need during the week. Only eight states require children to be
engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity in their licensed,
regulated child care centers. Only 20 states require or recommend
scheduled recess for elementary students, while 37 states require
elementary, middle and high schools to teach physical education.

"Today's report shows that too many kids are spending too much time in
front of a computer or a TV or a video game or have limited access to
physical activity because they live in neighborhoods that aren't safe,
go to schools where P.E. classes have been cut or live in communities
where there are no sports leagues or afterschool activity programs,"
said First Lady Michelle Obama. "We need parents and teachers, business
and community leaders and the public and private sectors to come
together to create more opportunities for our kids to be active so they
can lead happy healthy lives."

"An active lifestyle, combined with healthy eating, is the number one
way to prevent obesity and key to preventing a host of serious
obesity-related diseases," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "As we
mark National Physical Fitness and Sports Month in May, President Obama
is challenging every American to make physical activity, fitness, and
sports part of their daily routine. Today's report shines a spotlight on
the additional need for safe and convenient places for Americans to be
physically active in their communities."

"The places where we live, work, learn, and play affect the choices we
make, and in turn, our health," said William Dietz, M.D., Ph.D.,
director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.
"As chronic diseases place an increasing burden on the nation's health
care system, the need for improving policies and environments for
physical activity is more important than ever. This report can help
states, communities and others work together to increase the number of
Americans who live healthier lives by creating communities that support
and encourage physical activity."

The full report is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/professionals/reports/index.html.
For more information about physical activity, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/.

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