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<br />Recommended Physical
<br />Activity
<br />
<br />. It is recommended that
<br />Americans accumulate at
<br />least 30 minutes (adults)
<br />or 60 minutes (children) of
<br />moderate physical activity
<br />mO,st days of the week.
<br />More may be needed to
<br />prevent weight g"in, to iose
<br />weight or to maintain weight
<br />loss.
<br />
<br />. Less than 1/3 of adults engage
<br />in therecommended
<br />amount of physical activity,
<br />
<br />Many peopieliYe,sedentary
<br />lives; 40 percEintof adults
<br />inthe Uniteq, states do not
<br />participat~in any leisure
<br />time physiC,,! aCtivity.
<br />
<br />; 43 percent of adolescents
<br />watCh more than 2 hours of
<br />television each day.
<br />
<br />. Physical activity is impoliant
<br />in preventing and treating
<br />overweight and obesity
<br />and is extremely helpful in
<br />. , maintaining weight loss, .
<br />, especially wh'en combined
<br />"" 'with healthy ~ating.
<br />" .......'.......,',:-". ".' ,
<br />
<br />;':>:,:\:,~,s,~;w~sn..G~~e;al';; Ove~eight
<br />" and Obesity At a Glance, 2001
<br />. ....,' ...,....... ""',.,..
<br />
<br />";.:,;,
<br />
<br />2
<br />
<br />Health, Physical Activity &
<br />
<br />Community Design
<br />
<br />America faces a national health crisis of epidemic
<br />proportions. Physical inactivity combined with overeating
<br />has, in just a few decades, made us a nation of fat and out-of-
<br />shape people. The incidence of overweight or obese adults
<br />increased from 47 percent in 1976, to 56 percent in ]994, and
<br />61 percent in 1999. The prevalence of overweight children
<br />and adolescents almost doubled during the same period.
<br />
<br />Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stress and a host of other
<br />ills are increasing. Physical inactivity and obesity rank
<br />second to smoking in their contribution to total mortality
<br />in the United States. Nearly 80 percent of obese adults have
<br />diabetes, high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure,
<br />coronary artery disease or other ailments)
<br />
<br />About 60 percent of overweight children between five
<br />and 10 years of age already demonstrate risk factors such
<br />as elevated blood pressure and increased insulin levels
<br />associated with heart disease. These factors lead to chronic
<br />diseases later in life.
<br />
<br />Moderate, daily physical activity, such as bicycling or
<br />walking, has long been recognized as an essential ingredient
<br />of a healthy lifestyle. Yet many Americans, both young
<br />and old, lead a sedentary lifestyle. Our workplaces are
<br />increasingly automated. Many jobs require workers to spend
<br />hours at a desk. We use the automobile as our primary
<br />means of travel even for short trips.
<br />
<br />We don't walk or bicycle as much as we used to, partly
<br />because our communities - designed around the
<br />automobile -lack walkways and bikeways that would
<br />otherwise accommodate and encourage such activity. Even
<br />where facilities exist, features that support driving, such
<br />as wide roads and intersections, large parking lots and
<br />drive-through businesses, create an environment that is
<br />uncomfortable and unsafe for non-motorists.
<br />
<br />Spread-out, isolated destinations typical of car-oriented
<br />suburban development also discourage walking and
<br />bicycling. Even in communities where most places are near
<br />enough to walk or bicycle, people may not feel safe because
<br />of high motor vehicle speeds and volumes.
<br />
<br />1 (K Flegal, et af., Overweight and obesity in Ihe United States: prevalence and
<br />trends,1960-1994, Int J Obesity, 199B).
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