Changes in physical activity patterns in the United States, by sex and cross-sectional age
Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine sex-specific, age-related changes in physical activity patterns. METHODS: We examined cross-sectional data from the National Health Interview Survey, using the 1992 Youth Risk Behavior Survey supplement for adolescents and the 1991 Health Promotion/Disease Prevention supplement for adults. Physical activity patterns were modeled after Healthy People 2000 objectives. RESULTS: Among adolescents, physical activity patterns generally eroded most from ages 15 through 18. The "regular, vigorous activity" and strengthening patterns declined consistently from ages 12 through 21. Young adulthood (18-29 yr) often marked continuing erosion of activity patterns, whereas middle adulthood (30-64 yr) often revealed relatively stable patterns. At retirement age (65 yr), there was a stabilizing, or even an improving, tendency in activity patterns, usually followed by further erosion through the final period of life. Strengthening behavior eroded dramatically with advancing age among adults, especially among men. Among adolescents, differences between female and male respondents were large for regular, vigorous activity (11.3 percentage points greater for male respondents). In comparison with female adolescents and adults, male respondents reported much higher rates of regular, sustained activity (5.5 and 5.9 percentage points, respectively), and strengthening (18.2 and 11.3 percentage points, respectively). Among adults, levels of physical inactivity among women were moderately greater (5.5 percentage points) than for men. Absolute rates of change per year were mostly large to very large (3.0-8.0 percentage points x yr(-1)) during ages 15-18 yr, but, for adults, they were small (<0.5 percentage points x yr(-1)) for 33 of 40 sex, age, and pattern groupings. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that early and continued intervention will be necessary to offset these declines in physical activity throughout adolescence and adulthood.
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These gendered training dynamics may be a significant contributor to the ACL injury rate disparity between women and men, given lower resistance training participation among girls/women and the importance of that activity for effective ACL injury prevention.
“These gendered training dynamics may be a significant contributor to the ACL injury rate disparity between women and men, given the well-documented lower resistance training participation rates among girls and women compared with boys and men, 40 41 and the importance of that activity for effective ACL injury prevention programmes.38”
From Anterior cruciate ligament injury: towards a gendered environmental approach (2021) · cites this paper as [41]
Girls and women participate in resistance training at a much lower rate than boys and men, and this gap is associated with strong gendered expectations of how a woman's body is supposed to look and the gender typing of weightlifting as masculine.
“However, girls and women participate in resistance training at a much lower rate than boys and men, 40 41 and this gap is associated with strong gendered expectations of how a woman's body is 'supposed' to look and the gender typing of weightlifting as masculine.23 42-45”
From Anterior cruciate ligament injury: towards a gendered environmental approach (2021) · cites this paper as [41]
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- Authors
- CASPERSEN, C. J., PEREIRA, M. A., & CURRAN, K. M.
- Affiliations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Boston Children's Hospital (US)
- ORCID
- PEREIRA, MARK A.
- Venue
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Published
- 2000-09
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1601-1609
- ISSN
- 0195-9131 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2011644002
- Cited by
- 1,145
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 55 · 2019: 56 · 2018: 53 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 59 · 2015: 57 · 2014: 50 · 2013: 64 · 2012: 56
- FWCI
- 9.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Sports and Physical Education Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- physical activity patterns, sex differences, age-related changes, adolescents, young adults, midlife, older adults, physical inactivity, high-intensity exercise, muscle strengthening, physical activity trends
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Adult, Aged, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Life Style, Male, Middle Aged, Physical Fitness, Public Health, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, United States, Health Behavior, Exercise, Epidemiologic Studies
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