The Community Wellness Coalition is pleased to provide this series of reports about the health status of people in the greater Worcester region. Our goal is to identify health priorities as well as examine areas in which progress has been made towards achieving a healthy community. As health care providers, community advocates, and consumers, we hope you will help us identify how we can improve poor health conditions. The framework for these reports is to compare the health status of Worcester area residents with the goals of Healthy People 2010, a report from the Surgeon General of the United States. This premi re issue addresses physical activity, and future issues will address such topics as obesity, tobacco use, substance abuse, responsible sexual behavior, mental health, injury and violence, environmental quality, and immunization, among others.
Females are less likely to exercise regularly compared to males.
Similar but less pronounced differences by gender are reported throughout Massachusetts. Increase the proportion of adults who engage regularly, preferably daily, in moderate physical acitivity for at least 30 minutes per day. According to results from the 1999 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey both regular aerobic exercise and sports team participation were associated with lower rates of cigarette smoking, marijuana use, recent sexual activity, and serious depression. One of the factors that contributes to coronary heart disease is the lack of physical activity. Males have a much higher rate of death from CHD than females.