Prevalence of recommended levels of physical activity among women--Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1992.

Regular physical activity provides important health benefits for women, including lower risks for coronary heart disease, some cancers, osteoporosis, and other leading causes of death and disability (1-3). Despite such benefits, the proportion of women in the United States reporting regular physical activity has been low (4). Because even moderately intense physical activity has substantial health benefits, public health recommendations for physical activity have been expanded to a broader spectrum of activity, including gardening, walking, and housework in addition to more vigorous aerobic exercise (e.g., jogging) (5,6). To improve estimates of the prevalence of participation in physical activity at levels associated with health benefits among adult women, data about leisure-time physical activity were analyzed from the 1992 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This report summarizes the results of these analyses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)