UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Reveals Alarming Details About Lack of Physical Activity Among California Adults and Teens: Survey also Finds that Safe Neighborhoods and Parks Encourage Activity
Two new reports from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research find that one in four California adults doesn’t walk for transportation or leisure, and more than one in four California teens don’t get the recommended amount of physical activity. The reports also show that safe neighborhoods and parks are major factors encouraging physical activity among California adults and teens.
“These findings expand our idea of what constitutes a healthy community,”
said E. Richard Brown, Ph.D., who co-authored both studies and is director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and a professor in the School of Public Health. “They also show that urban planners, school leaders, parks officials and law enforcement — along with the more traditional members of the health policy community — can play important roles promoting healthy lifestyles.”
Race and income also influence walking and physical activity. For example, teens from affluent families get more physical activity than their counterparts from low-income families. Latino adults walk more for transportation, while whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives walk more for leisure.
Based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, these new studies offer a rare look at walking habits and physical activity of California adults and teens, and provide valuable information for those creating new policies and/or conditions to promote healthier lifestyles.
