National Health Statistics Reports

NHSR, No. 112. State Variation in Meeting the 2008 Federal Guidelines for Both Aerobic and Muscle-strengthening Activities Through Leisure-time Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18–64: United States, 2010–2015 This National Health Statistics Report presents national and state-level age-adjusted estimates of percentages of U.S. adults aged 18–64 who met the 2008 federal guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities during leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in 2010–2015, by sex and work status (working compared with nonworking). State variation in work status, health status and difficulty in physical functioning, and occupational distributions for men and women were also considered. Nationally, 22.9% of U.S. adults aged 18–64 met the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities during LTPA in 2010–2015. However, the extent to which adults met these guidelines varied by state, sex, and current work status. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia had significantly higher percentages of adults meeting the guidelines through LTPA than the national average, while 13 states had percentages that were significantly below the national average. The percentage of men who met the guidelines through participation in LTPA varied from 17.7% in South Dakota to 40.3% in the District of Columbia, with the national average being 27.2%. Among women, percentages varied from 9.7% in Mississippi to 31.5% in Colorado, with the national average for women being 18.7%. Percentages meeting the guidelines among men were less regionally concentrated than among women, especially with respect to exceeding the guidelines. Pooled data from the 2010–2015 National Health Interview Survey for all 50 states and the District of Columbia were used to create percentage estimates for these analyses.

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