More than three in five (62%) of adults said they walked at least once for 10 minutes or more during the previous week in 2010, compared with 56% in 2005, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, fewer than half (48%) of all adults get enough physical activity to improve their health, according to data from the National Health Interview Survey. For substantial health benefits, adults should get at least 2 1/2 hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity such as brisk walking, according to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. This activity should be done in increments of at least 10 minutes.
"More than 145 million adults are now getting some of their physical activity by walking," CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said in a news release. "People who are physically active live longer and are at lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression and some cancers.
"Having more places for people to walk in our communities will help us continue to see increases in walking, the most popular form of physical activity among American adults."
Increases in walking were seen in nearly all groups surveyed, according to the report. Walkers were defined as those who walked for at least one session of 10 minutes or more for transportation, fun or exercise.
In the West, roughly 68% of people reported walking, more than in any other region in the country. The South featured the largest increase in the percentage of people who walk, from about 49% in 2005 to 57% in 2010. The report also found that more adults with arthritis or hypertension walk, although there was no increase in walking among adults with type 2 diabetes.
"It is encouraging to see these increases in the number of adults who are now walking," said Joan M. Dorn, PhD, branch chief of the Physical Activity and Health Branch in the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "But there is still room for improvement.
"People need more safe and convenient places to walk. People walk more where they feel protected from traffic and safe from crime. Communities can be designed or improved to make it easier for people to walk to the places they need and want to go."
The report highlights ways to provide better spaces and more places for walking. For example, state and local governments could consider joint-use agreements to let community residents use local school tracks or gyms after classes have finished. Employers could create walking paths around or near the workplace and promote them with signs and road maps. Citizens could participate in local planning efforts that identify best sites for walking paths and priorities for new sidewalks.
The report appears in the August issue of Vital Signs. To read it, visit http://1.usa.gov/O06348.
However, fewer than half (48%) of all adults get enough physical activity to improve their health, according to data from the National Health Interview Survey. For substantial health benefits, adults should get at least 2 1/2 hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity such as brisk walking, according to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. This activity should be done in increments of at least 10 minutes.
"More than 145 million adults are now getting some of their physical activity by walking," CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said in a news release. "People who are physically active live longer and are at lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression and some cancers.
"Having more places for people to walk in our communities will help us continue to see increases in walking, the most popular form of physical activity among American adults."
Increases in walking were seen in nearly all groups surveyed, according to the report. Walkers were defined as those who walked for at least one session of 10 minutes or more for transportation, fun or exercise.
In the West, roughly 68% of people reported walking, more than in any other region in the country. The South featured the largest increase in the percentage of people who walk, from about 49% in 2005 to 57% in 2010. The report also found that more adults with arthritis or hypertension walk, although there was no increase in walking among adults with type 2 diabetes.
"It is encouraging to see these increases in the number of adults who are now walking," said Joan M. Dorn, PhD, branch chief of the Physical Activity and Health Branch in the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "But there is still room for improvement.
"People need more safe and convenient places to walk. People walk more where they feel protected from traffic and safe from crime. Communities can be designed or improved to make it easier for people to walk to the places they need and want to go."
The report highlights ways to provide better spaces and more places for walking. For example, state and local governments could consider joint-use agreements to let community residents use local school tracks or gyms after classes have finished. Employers could create walking paths around or near the workplace and promote them with signs and road maps. Citizens could participate in local planning efforts that identify best sites for walking paths and priorities for new sidewalks.
The report appears in the August issue of Vital Signs. To read it, visit http://1.usa.gov/O06348.
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