More Americans are walking for physical fitness now than they were 5 years ago, but they spend less time doing so, government researchers said.
Between 2005 and 2010, the proportion of the population that reported walking at least 10 minutes a day rose from 55.7% to 62%, Dianna Carroll, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues reported in a Vital Signs report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
But the mean time spent walking daily fell from 15 minutes (105 minutes per week) to 13 minutes (90.8 minutes) during that time, the reasons for which are unclear, the researchers wrote.
Still, walking is a "wonder drug" that can prevent a variety of maladies from diabetes to cancer, CDC director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, said during a phone call with reporters.
"I would say there's no single drug that can do anything like what regular physical activity does," Frieden said.
The data come from the CDC's 2005 and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys, and Frieden said the increase in walking prevalence was seen across almost all demographic groups.
Yet only 48% of Americans are meeting 2008 guidelines that recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, per week, and a third of Americans said they don't get any physical activity at all.
Walking appeared to increase the likelihood that patients met those recommendations, Frieden said. In 2010, 59.5% of those who walked met the guideline compared with 29.5% of those who didn't walk.
In adjusted analyses, walkers were nearly three times more likely to meet the guidelines than nonwalkers (adjusted OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.73 to 3.19), and the association was significant for men (aOR=2.64) and women (aOR=3.46).
Frieden urged communities and employers to foster programs that would encourage people to get out and walk. State and local governments should consider walking during community planning by including pathways and designing streets and roadways that are safe for pedestrians, he said, while employers can create walking programs and identify nearby walking paths for their employees.
"Walking is possible for just about everyone," Frieden said. "It doesn't require special skills. You can use it to get places and to do things." In fact, among adults who required walking assistance, approximately one in four reported walking and meeting the activity guidelines, according to the Vital Signs report.
It's important that people pick an activity they like to do so that they'll stick with it, Frieden added. "You have to build it into your regular routine and make it a part of your life," he advised.
The researchers reported no conflicts of interest.
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report