Exercise Statistics

CDC Report: Almost 30% of US adults do not exercise.
ABC World News (2/16, lead story, 2:45, Sawyer) reported, "A red alert about a health crisis that is threatening lives but something that can be prevented, can be changed. The CDC today announced the results of a huge comprehensive survey which lays out in detail what's needed if Americans are going to cut family doctor bills and the ever-increasing consumption of prescription drugs." ABC correspondent David Muir added, "Beyond being overweight as nation," a new "map reveals the stark correlation between weight and disease and now skyrocketing doctor's bills because of it." Muir said that the CDC data indicate that "nearly 30% of adults get no exercise at all."
The CNN (2/17, Caruso) "The Chart" blog says, "A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds people living in parts of Appalachia and the South don't spend enough time exercising." It "found that in most counties in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee, at least 29% of adults reported having no physical activity beyond their jobs." Notably, that figure "was as high as 43%" in some counties. "In contrast, the CDC researchers found that people living on the West Coast and residents of Colorado, Minnesota and parts of the Northeast were more likely to be active in their leisure time."
USA Today (2/16, Marcus) reported, "This is the third in a series of county-focused reports by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first two looked at diabetes and obesity rates, says Ann Albright, director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation." Albright added, "When you actually take all three maps together, it really does give you this clear picture that the Southern and Appalachian areas on all three -- obesity, diabetes and inactivity -- are very closely tied to each other." The findings were based on data obtained from adults in 3,141 counties.
Another ABC World News (2/16, story 2, 0:55, Sawyer) segment featured Dr. Richard Besser, who advised Americans about how they could begin the process of becoming fit. ABC (Besser) suggested drinking less soda, because "if you cut one soda out of your diet every day, you can lose 15 pounds over the course of an entire year." He also urged people to begin some form of exercise, such as walking, in small time increments of 10 minutes and not to overwhelm themselves by attempting too much too soon.