A new study reports that an astounding 75% of U.S. women of reproductive age do not meet activity guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Researchers analyzed the most recent data from the National Health Interview Survey, following nearly 11,000 female respondents aged 18 to 44. According to data from 2022 and 2024, only one-in-four women reported leisure-time activity meeting aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines outlined in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition.
Regular physical activity is proven to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve sleep and mental health. Further, it has notable maternal health benefits, including lowering the risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, postpartum depression, and can even decrease time in labor. However, the study found that only 25% of U.S. women of reproductive age reported sufficient physical activity in both aerobic and muscle-strengthening categories, while 22% reported physical activity meeting aerobic recommendations, and 6% reported physical activity meeting muscle-strengthening guidelines.
Notably, the findings underscored the differences in meeting leisure-time physical activity recommendations by race, age, and educational attainment. Lower levels of physical activity were disproportionately reported amongst Hispanic and Black women, along with less educational attainment. This reveals that considering social and structural factors in relation to accessing physical activity opportunities may be effective in closing this gap.
The study was published in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. It was authored by K.A. Kamanani Conklin, and Kim G. Harley from the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Jasmine Y Nakayama and Miriam E Van Dyke from the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Hannah R. Thompson from the Nutrition Policy Institute and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley.