Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012
This Week's News
More adults walking, but less than half get recommended exercise: CDC
While more adults are reporting walking at least 10 minutes daily as part of a healthy lifestyle, fewer than half of all adults are getting the recommended weekly amount of physical activity, according to a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
About 62 percent of adults in 2010 said they walked at least once for 10 minutes or more in the previous week—an increase over 2005, when 56 percent reported doing so. However, less than half of adults report getting the recommended aerobic activity in a week, at least 2.5 hours a week. Furthermore, a third of Americans say they are physically inactive.
The AMA strongly supports the CDC's recommendations to promote walking, AMA President Jeremy A. Lazarus said in a statement.
"Physical activity has been shown to help reduce many health risks, and more must be done to encourage all Americans to make exercise a regular part of their lives," Dr. Lazarus said.
Physicians who want to encourage their patients to reduce health risks by increasing physical activity can look to the AMA for help. The AMA's Healthier Life Steps® program is a free resource that helps patients and physicians work together to address key health behaviors, including physical activity, by helping them to set goals and create an action plan.
The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes in our nation and made this a key pillar in its five-year strategic plan launched earlier this year.
In addition, the AMA is an organizational partner in the National Physical Activity Plan, a comprehensive set of policies, programs and initiatives that aim to increase Americans' physical activity.
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