Physical Inactivity in United States

United States

Many adults spend a large portion of their time being sedentary (sitting for prolonged periods of time) despite the benefits of regular physical activity. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 8.3% of deaths of non-disabled adults ages 25 and older were attributed to physical inactivity. 

Being physically active and reducing sedentary behavior benefits health at all ages. Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes a week) is associated with reduced risk of:

• Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke.
• Hypertension.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Certain cancers, including bladder, breast and colon cancer.
• Dementia.
• Anxiety and depression.

Costs associated with physical inactivity account for more than 11% of total health care expenditures and are estimated at $117 billion annually.

According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of physical inactivity is higher among:

• Women compared with men. 
• Adults ages 65 and older compared with younger adults; the prevalence of physical inactivity is higher with each increase in age group.
• Hispanic and Black adults compared with Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Asian adults.
• Adults with less than a high school education, who have a prevalence more than 3 times higher than college graduates; the prevalence of physical inactivity is lower with each increase in education level.
• Adults with an annual household income less than $25,000, who have a prevalence nearly 3 times higher than those with an income of $75,000 or more; the prevalence of physical inactivity is lower with each increase in income level.
• Adults living in non-metropolitan areas compared with those in metropolitan areas.
• Adults who have difficulty with self-care compared with adults without a disability.

The Department of Health and Humans Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults move more and sit less throughout the day and states that some physical activity is better than none. A recent study found that an annual 110,000 deaths in the U.S. could be prevented if adults ages 40 and older increased their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by 10 minutes per day.

Specific physical activity guidelines for adults include:

• At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity) aerobic physical activity, such as running, riding a bike, dancing or swimming.
• Muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups two or more days a week.

The CDC makes several community-level recommendations to increase physical activity, including built environment approaches that make it easier and safer for people to walk, run, bike or take transit to get to where they need to go.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) found that the median economic benefit of improved health from creating or enhancing access to parks, trails and greenways was $3.10 for each dollar invested. Additionally, the CPSTF also includes a list of strategies to increase physical activity, including worksite digital health and telephone interventions.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to physical activity, including: 

• Reducing the proportion of adults who do no physical activity in their free time.
• Increasing the proportion of adults who do enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.
• Increasing the proportion of worksites that offer employee physical activity programs.

Carlson, Susan A., E. Kathleen Adams, Zhou Yang, and Janet E. Fulton. “Percentage of Deaths Associated With Inadequate Physical Activity in the United States.” Preventing Chronic Disease 15 (March 29, 2018): 170354. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.170354.

Carlson, Susan A., Janet E. Fulton, Michael Pratt, Zhou Yang, and E. Kathleen Adams. “Inadequate Physical Activity and Health Care Expenditures in the United States.” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 57, no. 4 (January 2015): 315–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2014.08.002.

Saint-Maurice, Pedro F., Barry I. Graubard, Richard P. Troiano, David Berrigan, Deborah A. Galuska, Janet E. Fulton, and Charles E. Matthews. “Estimated Number of Deaths Prevented Through Increased Physical Activity Among US Adults.” JAMA Internal Medicine 182, no. 3 (March 1, 2022): 349. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7755.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf.

Yang, Lin, Chao Cao, Elizabeth D. Kantor, Long H. Nguyen, Xiaobin Zheng, Yikyung Park, Edward L. Giovannucci, Charles E. Matthews, Graham A. Colditz, and Yin Cao. “Trends in Sedentary Behavior Among the US Population, 2001-2016.” JAMA 321, no. 16 (April 23, 2019): 1587. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.3636.