Leading Exercise Scientist Points To Increasing Evidence That Sedentary Lives Can Be Deadly

“As many as 50 million Americans are living sedentary lives, putting them at increased risk of health problems and even early death, a leading expert in exercise science told the American Psychological Association. Speaking at APA's 117th Annual Convention, Steven Blair, PED, called Americans' physical inactivity ‘the biggest public health problem of the 21st century.’ Blair is a professor of exercise science and epidemiology at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. He is one of the world's premier experts on exercise and its health benefits and was the senior scientific editor of the 1996 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health. Research has shown approximately 25 percent to 35 percent of American adults are inactive, Blair said, meaning that they have sedentary jobs, no regular physical activity program and are generally inactive around the house or yard. ‘This amounts to 40 million to 50 million people exposed to the hazard of inactivity,’ Blair said in an interview. ‘Given that these individuals are doubling their risk of developing numerous health conditions compared with those who are even moderately active and fit, we're looking at a major public health problem.’ Blair's extensive research comes primarily from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, in which he found that fitness level was a significant predictor of mortality. The ongoing study began in 1970 and includes more than 80,000 patients. The message should be simple, he said: Doing something is better than doing nothing, and doing more is better than doing less, at least up to a point. ‘We need numerous changes to promote more physical activity for all, including public policies, changes in the health care system, promoting activity in educational settings and worksites, and social and physical environmental changes. We need more communities where people feel comfortable walking. I believe psychologists can help develop better lifestyle change interventions to help people be more active via the Internet and other technological methods.’”

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