Inactivity and poor diet cause at least 300,000 deaths a year in the United States. Only tobacco use causes more preventable deaths.²

Most persons in the United States are not regularly physically active. In every state surveyed at least 60% of adults do not achieve the recommended amount of physical activity.³ In Alaska, 67.1% do not exercise the recommended amount. In fact, 22.8% of Alaskan and 21% of Anchorage residents do not engage in any leisure time physical activity.⁴

Physical activities that promote health include brisk walking, raking leaves, shoveling snow, social dancing, washing or waxing a car, walking stairs (vs. an elevator), bicycling, swimming, and other sports.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISING

The health benefits of physical activity are significant.

• Reduces risk of premature death in general and in particular greatly reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, the second leading cause of death in Alaska.
• Reduces risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.
• Helps control weight.
• Enhances mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and increasing self-esteem.
• Fosters healthy muscles, bones, and joints and helps maintain function and preserve independence in older adults.

RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF EXERCISE TO PROMOTE GOOD HEALTH

The July 1996 Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health lays out the new health recommendations regarding the amount of exercise needed to promote good health.⁵

• Moderate physical activity for an average of at least 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. Examples include walking briskly, shoveling snow, washing and waxing your car, gardening, social dancing, stairwalking, sports, or
• Vigorous exercise (physical activity that makes you sweat and breathe hard) for at least 20 minutes at least 3 times a week.

Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity.

CONSEQUENCES OF PHYSICAL INACTIVITY

A by-product of lack of exercise and poor diet is the health problem of being overweight. A growing proportion of U.S. children, adolescents, and adults are overweight.

• The proportion of overweight children and adolescents increased by 6% between 1980 and 1994.
• The proportion of overweight adults increased by 9% between 1980 and 1994.
• One-third of men and 36% of women are overweight.

Overweight is associated with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. Overweight increases the risk for heart disease, gall bladder disease, and some cancers.

BARRIERS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sites a number of factors that prevent engaging in physical exercise:

• Lack of time
• Need for motivation and support to maintain routine
• Lack of safe and accessible places to exercise.
• Individuals incorrectly make the association between fitness and thinness
• Colder climates, like Alaska, may find exercising even more problematic during the winter months.

STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The Surgeon General's Report on physical activity and health called for a comprehensive public health effort to address the pervasive problem of insufficient physical activity, including promoting environmental and policy strategies aimed at increasing opportunities for persons to be physically active. Some examples are listed below.

• Establish policies that promote lifelong physical activity, such as :
• Schools are key to reaching children and adolescents; require daily physical education for grades K-12. Currently, no States require daily physical education programs as part of the curriculum. The national trend is towards declining attendance of physical education, for example high school students' attendance declined from 42% to 25% between 1991 and 1995.⁶
• Provide physical and social environments that encourage safe, enjoyable physical activity.
• Worksite programs offering employer-sponsored physical fitness programs.
• Access to community fitness facilities.
• Encourage parents and guardians to include physical activities in family events.

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1997. Promoting life Long Physical Activity: At-A-Glance, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, downloaded from the Internet http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/physact.htm.