While COVID-19 might be in the rearview mirror for millions of Americans, researchers from the University of Illinois-Chicago say there’s a new pandemic on the horizon: physical inactivity.
Dr. Ross Arena, from UIC’s Department of Physical Therapy, calls Americans’ sedentary lifestyle a “crisis,” noting that “on a national level, physical activity is unacceptably low and has not appreciably improved over the past decade.”
Additionally, he explains, specific geographic regions make up a social vulnerability belt that spans a large portion of the southern U.S., as well as parts of northern and western Alaska.
That’s where Americans aren’t physically active due to socioeconomic status, and cultural and household characteristics, he says.
“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. Nicolaas Pronk, a co-investigator of the study.
To that end, Arena says, “We need to figure out how to help specific communities and individuals make behavior changes. What tools do they need? What messaging will resonate with them? It’s time to apply a precision medicine approach to healthy living medicine.”