As adults age, more advised to exercise

ATLANTA, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- In 2010, almost a third of U.S. adults who had seen a physician in the previous year had been advised they needed to exercise, health officials say.

The percentage of adults who had been advised to exercise increased from 22.6 percent in 2000 to 32.4 percent in 2010, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics found.

In 2000, 10.4 percent of U.S. adults ages 18-24 received a recommendation from a healthcare professional to exercise, but by 2010, this had increased to 16 percent. For those age 85 and older, the percentage receiving advice to exercise nearly doubled between 2000 at 15.3 percent and 2010 at 28.9 percent, the report said.

The researchers arrived at the percentages using data from the National Health Interview Survey for 2000, 2005 and 2010.

Receiving advice to exercise increased for adults with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, but adults who were overweight or obese had the largest percentage point increases over the decade 2000 to 2010 in being urged to work out.

Research points to the benefits of physical activity for reducing the risk of chronic health conditions and engaging in regular physical activity can reduce medication dependence, help maintain functional independence and improve the quality of life for older adults.

Physicians and other health professionals can be influential sources of health information, and exercise counseling by primary care physicians has been shown to increase patients' participation in physical activity, the researchers said.