Physical Inactivity - Women

Physical Inactivity - Women in United States

United States

Physical inactivity is associated with many negative health outcomes, including heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, physical activity may lower women's risk of breast cancer and help improve depression and sleep. Physical activity during pregnancy reduces the risk of excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes. Furthermore, physical activity during the postpartum period (first year after delivery) can help decrease symptoms of postpartum depression. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 8.3% of deaths among adults ages 25 and older without a disability were attributed to physical inactivity. Costs associated with physical inactivity account for more than 11% of total health care expenditures and are estimated at $117 billion annually.

According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of physical inactivity among women is higher among:

• Women ages 35-44 compared with women ages 18-24. 
• Hispanic and Black women compared with white women. Multiracial women also have a low prevalence.
• Women with less than a high school education compared with women with higher levels of education; the prevalence of physical inactivity is lower with each increase in education level.
• Women with an annual household income below $25,000 compared with women with higher income levels; the prevalence of physical inactivity is lower with each increase in income level.

Reducing the amount of sedentary time (e.g., time spent sitting or watching television) decreases the health risks associated with physical inactivity. 

The physical activity guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) specify that adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. The guidelines for adults include:

• At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity) aerobic physical activity, such as running, riding a bike, dancing or swimming, a week. 
• Muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups two or more days a week.

HHS guidelines also recommend that pregnant or postpartum women continue to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. This should be done in consultation with a health care provider and be modified for pregnant women based on their medical conditions. 

The CDC has several recommendations to increase physical activity at the community level, including adopting environmental approaches to enhance opportunities for active transport and leisure-time activity, zoning code reforms that promote physical activity and promoting social support interventions such as walking or cycling groups. The CDC also suggests strategies to increase access to safe spaces for physical activity at the state and local levels. 

Creating access to spaces for physical activities via park, trail, and greenway infrastructure has shown positive economic benefits, as every $1 invested has resulted in more than $3 worth of benefits. 

Additionally, a 2017 study found that workplace interventions to increase physical activity for working-age women led to an increase in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity levels of physical activity.

Healthy People 2030 has several physical activity objectives, including:

• Reducing the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity.
• Increasing the proportion of adults who meet minimum guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.
• Increasing the proportion of adults who walk or use a bicycle to get places.
• Increasing the proportion of worksites that offer physical activity programs to employees.

“ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804: Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.” 2020. Obstetrics & Gynecology 135 (4): e178–88. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003772.

Carlson, Susan A., E. Kathleen Adams, Zhou Yang, and Janet E. Fulton. 2018. “Percentage of Deaths Associated With Inadequate Physical Activity in the United States.” Preventing Chronic Disease 15 (March): 170354. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.170354.

Carlson, Susan A., Janet E. Fulton, Michael Pratt, Zhou Yang, and E. Kathleen Adams. 2015. “Inadequate Physical Activity and Health Care Expenditures in the United States.” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 57 (4): 315–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2014.08.002.

Katzmarzyk, Peter T., and I-Min Lee. 2012. “Sedentary Behaviour and Life Expectancy in the USA: A Cause-Deleted Life Table Analysis.” BMJ Open 2 (4). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000828.

Reed, Jennifer L., Stephanie A. Prince, Cara G. Elliott, Kerri-Anne Mullen, Heather E. Tulloch, Swapnil Hiremath, Lisa M. Cotie, Andrew L. Pipe, and Robert D. Reid. 2017. “Impact of Workplace Physical Activity Interventions on Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Health Among Working-Age Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 10 (2). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.116.003516.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2018. “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf.