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Exercise
Levels Rise Only Slightly Over 40 Years
The "couch potato" lifestyle appears to be holding
its own against four decades of government health campaigns
to promote exercise, new study findings show.
Researchers found that even among those who are generally
health-conscious and well-educated, only "modest progress"
has been made in inspiring adults to get moving over the
past 40 years.
What's more, much of the increase in physical activity took
place in the 1970s and '80s, and appears to have dropped
off of late, according to findings published in the journal
Preventive Medicine.
"These findings raise questions about the success of
previous national recommendations designed to increase leisure-time
physical activity," write the study authors, led by
Laura A. Talbot of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
For the study, the researchers reviewed data from a study
of Baltimore-area adults conducted from the 1960s through
the 1990s. They looked at participants' self-reported activity
levels, as well as the prevailing public health recommendations
for exercise at the time.
They note that years ago, national guidelines called for
regular, high-intensity aerobic exercise, while more recent
recommendations have focused on moderate activities, like
walking, that can be spaced out throughout the day.
Talbot's team found that among men, high-intensity activities
like swimming, running and basketball increased during the
study period -- with most of the jump occurring prior to
the '80s. Only a small increase was seen in moderate exercise
such as walking and gardening.
Women showed no change in intense-exercise rates, and only
modest gains in moderate activity.
The analysis is based on about 2,200 men and women who were
mainly white, healthy and well-educated -- those Americans,
the study authors note, who might be most likely to comply
with national exercise recommendations.
"This study demonstrates that a well-educated, health-conscious
population has shown only a modest increase in self-reported
leisure-time physical activity over the past four decades
despite numerous public recommendations to promote physical
activity," Talbot's team writes.
They speculate that these public-health efforts have suffered
from a lack of a well-organized and consistent message over
the years. The average person may be confused about how
much and what type of exercise he or she needs, and about
what the goal of exercise is.
They note, however, that the recent emphasis on getting
moderate exercise for the sake of overall health -- rather
than intense activity to enhance athletic prowess, for example
-- may yet improve activity levels.
SOURCE: Preventive Medicine 2003;37:52-60.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
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