California Residents Not Getting Recommended Amount of Exercise, Studies Find
More than one in four California teenagers do not get the recommended amount of weekly exercise and one in four adults do not walk at all for transportation or leisure, according to two reports released Tuesday by the University of California-Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (DelVecchio, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/7).
The studies are based on an analysis of the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, which interviewed more than 42,000 households (Bay City News/San Francisco Examiner, 12/7).
According to the studies:
- Low-income teenagers exercise less than their peers from higher income groups;
- Urban teenagers are twice as likely to get physical activity if they live near safe parks;
- Urban teenagers living in apartment buildings or unsafe neighborhoods are least likely to exercise;
- Half of California adults walk less than one hour per week;
- Low-income adults are more likely to walk for transportation, while those above the poverty level are more likely to walk for leisure; and
- Safe parks, crime prevention programs and closely knit neighborhoods encourage people to walk more for exercise (San Francisco Chronicle, 12/7).
Research briefs for the teenager study and adult study are available online. This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.