Physical activity levels among the general US adult population and in adults with and without arthritis

Abstract

The health effects of regular physical activity (PA) are well established and include decreased mortality and morbidity related to several common chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as contributing to improved mental health, physical functioning, and weight control (1–3). Despite this, US adults continue to get inadequate PA (4). In fact, physical inactivity was felt to be such a large public health problem that in 1996 the US Surgeon General released the landmark report Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (3). This report, as well as an earlier joint report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine (CDCACSM) recommend all US adults participate in regular, moderate-intensity, leisure-time PA (2). The CDC-ACSM recommendation specifically states “Every US adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.” Details of these and other (5) public health recommendations and guidelines for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness are summarized in Table 1. Monitoring national PA levels is important to define the extent of and to identify trends in physical inactivity, evaluate national health objectives, and to identify subpopulations where interventions should be targeted (6). Populations known to be at risk for physical inactivity include women, ethnic/racial minorities, older persons, disabled persons, overweight/obese persons, and persons with chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and arthritis (2,3,6,7). The high prevalence of arthritis in the US (43 million) makes persons with arthritis a large part of the population targeted for PA improvements (8). Participation in PA delays the onset of functional limitation (9,10), prevents obesity (11), and is essential for normal joint health (12,13). In addition, PA has been shown to reduce pain and disability among persons with arthritis and increase their physical performance and self efficacy (14,15). Yet, persons with arthritis often resist PA messages because activity may initially increase pain or because they were told, inappropriately, not to be physically active. The purposes of this study are to 1) describe the sources of data used for surveillance and special studies of PA among persons with arthritis, 2) compare levels of physical inactivity between 3 national health surveys, 3) report the prevalence of PA levels among the general US adult population and among adults with and without self-reported arthritis using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and 4) identify areas for future research regarding physical activity and arthritis.