Black and brown people in Missouri and throughout the United States carry the highest rates of physical inactivity, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ongoing telephone survey creates state maps of physical inactivity. The Show-Me State does not fare well, based on African American respondents. The rates are based on combined data from 2017 to 2020.
Missouri, at 33.6%, is one of 23 states and the District of Columbia where the physical inactivity rate of non-Hispanic Black respondents to the BRFSS survey topped 30%. Hispanic Missourians had a 25.1% rate.
The CDC maps also show:
• Five states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia) had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic White adults.
• 27 states had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native adults.
• 25 states and Puerto Rico had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among Hispanic adults.
The CDC defines physical inactivity for adults as “not participating in any physical activities outside of work over the last month. Activities include running, walking for exercise, or gardening.”
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.This can be broken into smaller amounts, such as 22 minutes every day or 30 minutes/five times a week.
Nationally, Hispanic adults (32.1%) had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity, followed by non-Hispanic Blacks, non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native (29.1%), non-Hispanic White (23.0%), and non-Hispanic Asian adults (20.1%).
Dr. Denise Hooks-Anderson,St. Louis American medical accuracy editor, SLUCare associate professor, family medicine and interim assistant dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, recently wrote in the publication “getting regular exercise is more than just trying to look cute in your favorite suit or dress. It is about keeping your blood sugar and cholesterol within normal limits. Exercise can also help control your blood pressure and improve depression. Joint mobility is also improved with regular movement.”
African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure than other racial groups in the United States, according to a recent American Heart Association (AHA) study. It concluded among non-Hispanic Blacks 20 and older, nearly 45% of men and 46% of women have high blood pressure.
Compared with participants who didn’t exercise, the risk of high blood pressure was 16% lower in those who did intermediate levels of physical activity (less than the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise) and 24% lower in those with ideal levels of physical activity (less than 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise or at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise), the AHA study concluded.
Researchers also found sport or exercise-related physical activity lowered the risk of high blood pressure compared to working or doing household chores, which did not change the risk of high blood pressure.
By region, the South had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity (27.5%), followed by the Midwest (25.2%), Northeast (24.7%), and the West (21%).
“Getting enough physical activity could prevent 1 in 10 premature deaths,” Ruth Petersen, MD, director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said. “Too many people are missing out on the health benefits of physical activity, such as improved sleep, reduced blood pressure and anxiety, lowered risk for heart disease, several cancers, and dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease).”
The CDC maps also show:
• Five states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia) had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic White adults.
• 27 states had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native adults.
• 25 states and Puerto Rico had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among Hispanic adults.
CDC maps and data tables are available at www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/data/inactivity-prevalence-maps/index.html.
Regular exercise may reduce African-Americans’ risk of high blood pressure – News on Heart.org
