Reports and Recommendations

This section provides links to key reports and recommendations that serve as the foundation for addressing physical activity.

State Indicator Report on Physical Activity 2010 [PDF-1.5Mb]
The State Indicator Report on Physical Activity 2010 provides information on physical activity behavior and policy and environmental supports within each state.  Physical activity, essential to overall health, can help control weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve mental health.
Also available:

• The National Action Guide [PDF-237k] summarizes PA levels among Americans and also provides potential action items to support state-level policy and environmental changes to increase PA.
• State Indicator Report on Physical Activity, 2010 Data Tables with Confidence Intervals [PDF-305k] provides state-specific information summarized for each state’s physical activity levels and compared to the nation.

The U.S. National Physical Activity Plan is a comprehensive set of policies, programs, and initiatives that aim to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population. The Plan is the product of a private-public sector collaborative. Hundreds of organizations are working together to change our communities in ways that will enable every American to be sufficiently physically active.

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

1999 Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The 1999 Surgeon General's report was the first to address physical activity and health.

Healthy People 2020
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Healthy People 2020 is the prevention agenda for the nation.

Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People
This document identifies strategies most likely to be effective in helping young people adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle.

Recent MMWRs, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports

For more see MMWR.

Arthritis as a Potential Barrier to Physical Activity Among Adults With Heart Disease ― United States, 2005 and 2007
MMWR February 27, 2009 / 58(07);165-169
Also available in print-friendly format [PDF-1.3Mb]

Prevalence of Self-Reported Physically Active Adults ― United States, 2007
MMWR December 5, 2008 / 57(48);1297–1300
Also available in print-friendly format [PDF-1.1Mb]

Prevalence of Regular Physical Activity Among Adults ― United States, 2001 and 2005
MMWR November 23, 2007 / 56(46);1209–1212
Also available in print-friendly format [PDF-484k]

QuickStats: Estimated Percentage of Patients Aged >45 Years Who Received Exercise Counseling from Their Primary-Care Physicians, by Sex and Age Group — National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 2003–2005
MMWR November 2, 2007 / 56 (43);1142
Also available in print-friendly format [PDF-350k]

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