Prevent Disease.com - Exercise Levels Rise Only Slightly Over 40 Years



		Exercise Levels Rise Only Slightly Over 40 Years The "couch potato" lifestyle appears to be holding its own against four decades of government health campaigns to promote exercise, new study findings show. Researchers found that even among those who are generally health-conscious and well-educated, only "modest progress" has been made in inspiring adults to get moving over the past 40 years. What's more, much of the increase in physical activity took place in the 1970s and '80s, and appears to have dropped off of late, according to findings published in the journal Preventive Medicine. "These findings raise questions about the success of previous national recommendations designed to increase leisure-time physical activity," write the study authors, led by Laura A. Talbot of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. For the study, the researchers reviewed data from a study of Baltimore-area adults conducted from the 1960s through the 1990s. They looked at participants' self-reported activity levels, as well as the prevailing public health recommendations for exercise at the time. They note that years ago, national guidelines called for regular, high-intensity aerobic exercise, while more recent recommendations have focused on moderate activities, like walking, that can be spaced out throughout the day. Talbot's team found that among men, high-intensity activities like swimming, running and basketball increased during the study period -- with most of the jump occurring prior to the '80s. Only a small increase was seen in moderate exercise such as walking and gardening. Women showed no change in intense-exercise rates, and only modest gains in moderate activity. The analysis is based on about 2,200 men and women who were mainly white, healthy and well-educated -- those Americans, the study authors note, who might be most likely to comply with national exercise recommendations. "This study demonstrates that a well-educated, health-conscious population has shown only a modest increase in self-reported leisure-time physical activity over the past four decades despite numerous public recommendations to promote physical activity," Talbot's team writes. They speculate that these public-health efforts have suffered from a lack of a well-organized and consistent message over the years. The average person may be confused about how much and what type of exercise he or she needs, and about what the goal of exercise is. They note, however, that the recent emphasis on getting moderate exercise for the sake of overall health -- rather than intense activity to enhance athletic prowess, for example -- may yet improve activity levels. SOURCE: Preventive Medicine 2003;37:52-60. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".