Few Women Meet Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening Activity Recommendation

MONDAY, Jan. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- About one-quarter of women report leisure-time activity meeting recommendations for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity, according to research published in the Dec. 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.K.A. Kamanani Conklin, M.P.H., from the University of California at Berkeley, and colleagues used data from the 2022 and 2024 National Health Interview Survey to examine the prevalence rates of self-reported leisure-time physical activity and meeting recommendations for physical activity among 10,981 women aged 18 to 44 years by race and ethnicity, age, and educational attainment.The researchers found that an estimated 25.1 percent of women reported leisure-time activity meeting recommendations for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity, while 27.1 and 6.1 percent reported leisure-time activity meeting only the aerobic activity recommendation and meeting only the muscle-strengthening activity recommendation, respectively. An estimated 47.2 percent reported leisure-time physical activity insufficient to meet either recommendation. There was variation seen in the prevalence rates of reported aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity by race and ethnicity, age, and educational attainment, with higher percentages of younger women (aged 18 to 24 years), non-Hispanic White women, and women with higher levels of educational attainment meeting both recommendations."Significant differences in meeting recommendations by race and ethnicity, age, and educational attainment underscore the value of addressing possible barriers to physical activity among specific groups, which could be an important strategy for improving health outcomes and reducing related differences in outcomes," the authors write.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Few Women Meet Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening Activity Recommendation

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