(OPINION) COVID-19 isn’t the only pandemic Americans should be concerned about. Researchers from the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) are calling the growing physical inactivity pandemic a “crisis” for the United States.
“The findings of the current investigation indicate a crisis within a crisis with respect to a physical inactivity pandemic in the U.S.,” says Dr. Ross Arena, from UIC’s Department of Physical Therapy and founder of the Healthy Living for Pandemic Event Protection (HL-PIVOT) Network, in a media release.
“On a national level, physical activity is unacceptably low and has not appreciably improved over the past decade while high levels of social vulnerability and physical inactivity are concentrated in specific geographic regions.”
This study uniquely investigates the correlation between social vulnerability and physical inactivity, utilizing county-level data on physical inactivity prevalence and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). It considers the impact of regional cultures in the U.S. as defined by the American Nations model.
Social vulnerability, particularly related to socioeconomic status and household characteristics, significantly impacts the prevalence of physical inactivity in the U.S.
2. There is a notable diversity in social vulnerability across different U.S. regions. A “social vulnerability belt” has been identified, spanning a large portion of the southern U.S. and parts of northern and western Alaska, indicating areas of high concern.
3. The overlap in the distribution of the SVI and physical inactivity prevalence suggests a strong regional cultural influence on these adverse phenomena.
The research also considers external factors influencing lifestyle choices, including cultural and geographic factors, historical settlement patterns, and the development of distinct regional cultures.
Dr. Nicolaas Pronk, a co-investigator of the study and president and chief science officer of HealthPartners, criticizes the traditional health messaging approach.
“Typically, we’ve said, ‘Being physically active is good for everyone and hence all people should be more physically active and exercising 150 minutes or more per week on most if not all days of the week at a moderate intensity is ideal.’ Little attention is paid to factors that influence a person’s decision to be physically active,” says Dr. Pronk. (CONTINUE)
