The Call for a Physical Activity Vital Sign in Clinical Practice

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most common shared occupational health risk is sedentary behavior. Physical inactivity increases the relative risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension and osteoporosis by 45%, 60%, 30%, and 59% respectively.1 Epidemiologic data suggest that physical inactivity is associated with an increased risk of 25 chronic diseases.2 Due to the fact that approximately 90% of American adults do not meet current physical activity guidelines,5 deaths attributable to physical inactivity may soon exceed those attributed to cigarette smoking,3,4 For these reasons, physical inactivity is increasingly recognized as a major public health problem.
Source: The American Journal of Medicine - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research