Progress Review of Healthy People 2020 Physical Activity objectives: Are We There Yet?

 

Physical activity (PA) reduces risk of early death, obesity, chronic diseases, and depression, and improves mental well-being. Furthermore, regular exercise provides better control of body weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol, improves quality of sleep, and enhances independent living among older adults.

Reflecting the importance of PA, PA objectives were included in the Healthy People national health goals. The Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objectives monitor PA behavior based on the 2008 PA Guidelines, environmental and policy support for PA among children and adults and also track children’s screen time.

Of the 36 PA objectives, 26 are measurable, having at least one data point from national data systems including the National Health Interview Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, School Health Policies and Practices Study, and National Survey of Children's Health.

In 2014, 6 objectives related to adult PA behavior and physician counseling had met their target (n=5) or showed improvement (n=1). Six objectives showed little or no significant change, and 1 objective on reducing computer time for non-school work moved away from the target. The remaining objectives were not evaluated: 12 objectives had only baseline data, 1 measure was informational, and for 10 developmental objectives the national data were not yet available.      

The presentation will cover the most recent national and state data for selected PA objectives and provide an overview of the HP2020 PA objectives and data search using the HP2020 website.