Facts about sedentary lifestyles:
Estimates indicate that nearly 250,000 deaths per year in the US — about 12 percent of total deaths — are due to a lack of regular physical activity. Surveys show that only 22 percent of American adults get enough leisure-time exercise to achieve cardiovascular fitness. The 1991-92 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Study data show the following have a sedentary lifestyle:
- Caucasian population — 56.2 percent men and 56.4 percent women
- African-American population — 62.8 percent men and 67.7 percent women
- Hispanic population — 61.5 percent men and 61.9 percent women
- Asian/Pacific Islanders — 56.6 percent men and 64.7 percent women
- American Indian/Alaskan Natives — 50.8 percent men and 64.1 percent women
It has also been found that people with lower incomes and less than a 12th grade education are more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Thirty-eight percent of people age 55 and older report essentially sedentary lifestyles.
One National Children and Youth Fitness Study found that:
- at least half of youth do not engage in physical activity that promotes long-term health.
- less than 36 percent of elementary and secondary schools offer daily physical education classes.
- most classes were unlikely to foster lifelong physical activity.
Source: Risks of Physical Inactivity – Maryland Heart Center | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/programs/heart/health/the-heart/inactivity#ixzz2fd7YeV00 University of Maryland Medical