Introduction
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Despite the clear health benefits of regular physical activity, over half of US adults do not engage in physical activity at levels consistent with public health recommendations.1 In the Healthy People 2010 national health objectives,2 physical activity is listed as a leading health indicator. Goals have been developed to improve levels of physical activity among adults, adolescents, and children.
Affecting physical activity behaviors requires understanding and approaching it not only from the individual level but also from a broader social ecological perspective. That is, understanding the individual's relationship to his or her family, community, culture, and life stage. Understanding the determinants of physical activity becomes the cornerstone in setting policies, recommendations, and guidelines that better enable individuals and communities to engage in physical activity as part of a healthier lifestyle and helps to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions.
The Physical Activity Resources for Health Professionals section offers information and tools for personnel in state and local health departments, education agencies, universities, community coalitions, organizations that fund public health programs, health care systems, and others who have an interest in or responsibility for increasing physical activity. It provides key reference documents, data and surveillance resources, information to assist you with program planning and evaluation, and ideas for physical activity promotion.
Selected Resources
Cost
Effectiveness of Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions*
This CDC study with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
used a rigorous economic model developed to assess the
cost-effectiveness of community-based physical activity interventions,
the study found these interventions to be cost-effective; reducing new
cases of many chronic diseases and improving quality of life.
Healthy People 2010
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010:
Understanding and Improving Health. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government
Printing Office, November 2000.
U.S. Physical Activity Statistics
What percent of the population in your city and state is physically active?
Find out in the physical activity statistics database. Search by
demographics and physical activity levels for a metropolitan area, state,
or national estimate.
The Community
Guide
The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free resource to help
you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease
in your community. The Community Guide includes systematic reviews of
interventions in the following areas:
- Campaigns and informational approaches
- Behavioral and social approaches
- Environmental and policy approaches
Fact Sheets
Preventing Obesity and Chronic Diseases through Good Nutrition and Physical
Activity
At A Glance: A
Report of the Surgeon General: Physical Activity and Health, 1996
2008 Physical Activity Guidelines Fact Sheets for Professionals
- Physical Activity
Guidelines for Adults
(PDF-821k) - Physical Activity
Guidelines for Older Adults
(PDF-746k)
- Physical Activity
Guidelines for Children and Adolescents
(PDF-672k)
1Prevalence of Physical Activity, Including Lifestyle Activities Among Adults — United States, 2000–2001, MMWR August 15, 2003, 52(32):764–769.
2U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000.
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Page last updated: November 19, 2009
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
