Overall, 62% of Americans 18 years of age and over never engaged in any periods of vigorous leisure-time physical activity lasting 10 minutes or more per week, and 24% engaged in such activity three or more times per week. Women were less likely to engage in vigorous leisure-time activity than men, and non-Hispanic black adults were less likely than non-Hispanic white adults. Adults with higher educational attainment and higher household incomes were more likely to engage in vigorous leisure-time physical activity. (CDC 2005 National Health Interview Survey)

In West Virginia, 39.4% of adults said they had engaged in 30 or more minutes of moderate physical activity five or more days per week, or vigorous physical activity for 20 or more minutes three or more days per week. Levels of physical activity decreased with age. For example, the rate for adults, ages 45-54 was only 35.4% compared to 57.1% of those ages 18-24. (WV BRFSS 2005)

In Kanawha County, 38% of adults said they had engaged in 30 or more minutes of moderate physical activity five or more days per week or vigorous physical activity for 20 or more minutes three or more days per week. This is a decrease from the 43.4% of adults reporting this level of physical activity in 2003. When asked if they participated in any physical activity within the past month, 32.5% of Kanawha County adults said they had not. (2005 BRFSS, SMART Data) Among Kanawha County high school age youth, 10% said they had not participated in any kind of physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day, for at least five of the past seven days. (2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey)

COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
TO LEARN 2006 ASSESSMENT FINDINGS FROM HOUSEHOLD TELEPHONE SURVEY AND KANAWHA COUNTY KEY INFORMANT SURVEY