Physical Inactivity - Women in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Physical inactivity is associated with many negative health outcomes, including heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. In contrast, regular exercise may lower women's risk of breast cancer and help improve depression and sleep. Physical activity during pregnancy reduces the risk of excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes, and physical activity during the postpartum period (first year after delivery) can help decrease symptoms of postpartum depression. 

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that 8.3% of deaths among adults age 25 and older without a disability in the United States can be attributed to physical inactivity. 

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

• Women ages 35-44 compared with women ages 18-24. 
• Hispanic and Black women compared with Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, multiracial and white women.
• Women with less than a high school education compared with those who are college graduates; the prevalence of physical inactivity is lower with each increase in education level.
• Women with an annual household income less than $25,000 compared with women with higher income levels; the prevalence of physical inactivity is lower with each increase in income level.

Reducing sedentary time (e.g., time spent sitting or watching television) decreases the health risks associated with physical inactivity. The physical activity guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) specify that adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. The guidelines for adults specifically suggest:

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

HHS guidelines also recommend that pregnant or postpartum women continue to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. This should be done in consultation with a health care provider and be changed as needed based on medical conditions. 

The CDC has several recommendations to increase physical activity at the community level, including adopting environmental approaches to enhance opportunities for active transport and leisure-time activity, implementing zoning code reforms that promote physical activity and social support interventions such as walking or cycling groups. The recommendations also stress the importance of increasing access to safe spaces for physical activity, an issue that disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority groups and rural residents. Creating access to spaces for physical activities via park, trail and greenway infrastructure has shown positive economic benefits, as every $1 invested has resulted in more than $3 worth of benefits. 

A 2017 study showed that workplace interventions to increase physical activity for working-age women resulted in higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity.

Healthy People 2030 has several physical activity objectives, including:

• Reducing the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity.
• Increasing the proportion of adults who meet minimum guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.
• Increasing the proportion of adults who walk or use a bicycle to get places.
• Increasing the proportion of worksites that offer physical activity programs to employees.

“ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804: Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.” Obstetrics & Gynecology 135, no. 4 (April 2020): e178–88. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003772.

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.

Reed, Jennifer L., Stephanie A. Prince, Cara G. Elliott, Kerri-Anne Mullen, Heather E. Tulloch, Swapnil Hiremath, Lisa M. Cotie, Andrew L. Pipe, and Robert D. Reid. “Impact of Workplace Physical Activity Interventions on Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Health Among Working-Age Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 10, no. 2 (February 2017). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.116.003516.

Shi, Hongying, Frank B. Hu, Tianyi Huang, Eva S. Schernhammer, Walter C. Willet, Qi Sun, and Molin Wang. “Sedentary Behaviors, Light-Intensity Physical Activity, and Healthy Aging.” JAMA Network Open 7, no. 6 (June 11, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16300.

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.