THURSDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- More than 70 percent of U.S. adults meet the minimum threshold for physical activity when occupational physical activity is taken into consideration, according to research published in the May 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Lillian Bensley, Ph.D., of the Washington State Department of Health in Olympia, and colleagues analyzed demographic patterns in physical activity levels to see what effect factoring in occupational activity has on the likelihood of adults meeting the minimal physical activity guidelines established in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
The researchers found that 64.3 percent of U.S. adults met minimal physical activity levels through such activities as walking, running, and gardening, without consideration for occupational activities. Once work-related physical activity was factored in, an additional 6.5 percent met minimum physical activity levels.
"Public health agencies conducting surveillance of population physical activity levels also should consider including occupational physical activity, which will help to identify demographic groups for targeted programs that increase physical activity," the authors write.
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