15% of U.S. adults are physically inactive, new CDC data show

RATES OF PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AMONG U.S. ADULTS, 2015-2018. (BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM/CDC)

More than 1 in 7 adults in the U.S. are physically inactive, according to new CDC data. Adults were asked about participating in any physical activity during their leisure time in the month prior to being surveyed, and 15% said they hadn’t done so. States in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Utah, and Washington, D.C., had the smallest percentage of physically inactive adults. White adults were also least likely to be physically inactive, while Hispanic adults — at nearly 32% — had the highest rate of physical inactivity. At the same time, 23 states and Washington, D.C. had inactivity rates of more than 30% among Black adults. The CDC says that physical inactivity can be linked to 1 in 10 premature deaths, and is associated with nearly $120 billion in annual health care costs.