Public Opinions and Weight Action about Diet Nutrition and Physical Activity - Are Americans Getting Enough Exercise?

In "Americans Are Working Out—But How Hard?" (Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, December 2, 2003), Coleen McMurray reported that, according to the Gallup Organization Health and Healthcare poll conducted from November 3–5, 2003, almost half of Americans (48 percent) participate in vigorous sports or physical activities at least once in a typical week. Consistent with previous research findings, more men (55 percent) reported participating in vigorous exercise than did women (42 percent).

In "Women Less Likely to Get Vigorous Exercise" (Gallup Organization, October 21, 2003), Rick Blizzard observed that nearly half (47 percent) of women between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine and two-thirds (67 percent) of women aged fifty and older never engage in vigorous sports or physical activities, compared to 28 percent of eighteen-to forty-nine-year-old men and 54 percent of men aged fifty and older who said they never exercise vigorously.

Substantially more Americans (82 percent) engage in moderate sports or other physical activities, at least once a week, and more than half (55 percent) said that they participate in moderate activity at least three times a week. Men were slightly more likely than women to report engaging in moderate exercise at least three times a week—57 percent of men and 52 percent of women. Twelve percent of men and 19 percent of women admitted that they do not engage in any moderate exercise during a typical week.

About the same proportion of American adults—three in ten—are either highly active or sedentary. Women are much more likely than men to be sedentary—approximately one-quarter of men were sedentary compared to 34 percent of women.

Teens Exercise More Than Adults

A May 2001 Gallup Youth Survey found that 81 percent of teenagers between the ages of thirteen and seventeen said they participated in "some form of sports or exercise on a regular basis." Although the proportion of teens who exercise regularly is considerably higher than adults, the Gallup data revealed that the percent of teens who exercise regularly decreased with age, and girls are not as likely as boys to participate in sports or exercise. (See Figure 11.13.)

In "Fit or Fat? Schools May Play Hefty Role" (Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, October 15, 2002), Jennifer Robison observed that school physical education programs may be the only opportunities for teens to engage in regular exercise. Budget and time constraints have prompted many school districts to sharply curtail or even eliminate physical education programs, despite the fact that research conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service revealed a strong positive association between regular physical activity and students' concentration and scores on standardized reading and math tests. The Gallup Youth Survey data supported this finding—87 percent of teens with above-average academic performance said they participated in sports or other regular exercise, while just 71 percent of students with average or below-average academic achievement reported participation in sports or exercise.

Robison asserted that in view of the relationship between physical inactivity, obesity, and academic achievement, "PE classes and school-sponsored sports for both sexes are more critical than ever to kids' healthy development." She also observed that the need for regular exercise may be even more pressing for girls, minorities, and older teens.

However, there is promising news about young teens' participation in physical activity. On February 23, 2004, the CDC reported that 74 percent of American "tweens"—nine-to thirteen-year-olds—were aware of a campaign encouraging them to exercise. The public awareness and youth media campaign called "VERB: It's What You Do" exhorts teens to choose a verb such as run, jump, skateboard, or swim, and then participate in the chosen activity regularly.

The social marketing (strategies to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences) portion of the campaign "VERB: It's What You Do" was launched in 2002. The media advertising campaign began in 2003, with paid advertising in magazines, newspapers, and on billboards and television that featured teen hip-hop artist Bow Wow and NBA star Tracy McGrady. The campaign also employs Web sites for teens and parents to motivate teens to track their physical activity and increase the amount of exercise they obtain outside of organized sports.