More Doctors Recommending Exercise

Good news from the medical community! According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more U.S. doctors are encouraging adults to be physically active.

The report, which is published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), determined that the percentage of adults whose physician or attending health professional encouraged them to exercise increased from 22.6% in 2000 to 32.4% in 2010. Here are some other key findings:

• Among adults aged 85 and older, the percentage being encouraged to exercise went from 15.3% in 2000 to 28.9% in 2010.
• The recommendations increased for individuals with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
• The greatest increase in physician-recommended exercise was among overweight and obese people.
• In all population categories, women received more exercise recommendations than men.

You can find the report in its entirety at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db86.htm.