What's It Mean To Be American?

Americans don't exercise enough

Americans don't exercise enough. Researchers analyzed data collected from 2003 to 2008 for approximately 80,000 adults who had participated in the American Time Use Survey - a national, telephone-based survey asking people what they'd done during the previous 24 hours. Among sedentary activities 95.6% ate and drank and 80.1% watched television or movies. Among light activities 78.9% washed, dressed and groomed, while 71.4% drove a vehicle. As for moderate activities, 25.7% prepared food and drinks and 10.6% cared for lawns, gardens or houseplants. Only 5% of those surveyed participated in vigorous, physical exercise. If exercise came in small, medium and large, it would be spelled "exersize".

Nine percent of American adults have symptoms of depression - feeling hopeless, little interest or pleasure in daily activities, difficulty concentrating, etc. In 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi had the highest depression rate - 14.8% of residents reporting 2 or more symptoms. West Virginia was second with 14.3% and Alabama was third with 13%. Because depression can precipitate and exacerbate symptoms of chronic diseases, many high-depression states also have above-average rates of obesity and heart disease. North Dakota was the state with the lowest depression rate - 4.8% - deserving its name as the "Peace Garden" state.

Approximately 17.2% of Americans work in noisy workplaces - workplaces where people have to raise their voices to have a conversation. A study of 6,307 adults published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that working in noisy places for at least 18 months can triple the risk of heart problems - and that was after statistical adjustments for participants being overweight and/or smoking. It seems constant noise can increase the levels of stress hormones that, in turn, can cause a plaque rupture, resulting in a heart attack. Maybe it's not just coincidence that "noisome" means injurious to health.

Approximately 22% of American adults - 50 million - are diagnosed with arthritis in 2010. That statistic also came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's about the same percentage as in the 2003-2005 study. What's changed is the number of people who are hobbled by arthritis - from 8.3% to 9.4%. The increase in the number of people having trouble dressing, climbing stairs, gardening, etc. has been attributed to baby boomers who are becoming the age when osteoarthritis starts breaking down cartilage. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and it seems to be "boomeranging".

by: Knight Pierce Hirst

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