The CDC Ranks The Most Active States

Most U.S. adults with disabilities don't get enough physical activity, according to new CDC data.

The CDC today reported that almost 38% of adults with disabilities meet minimum recommendations for physical activity, compared with nearly half of other adults.

Also, a quarter of disabled adults reported being physically inactive --meaning they got less than 10 minutes of physical activity at a time over the course of a week -- compared with about 13% of other adults.

The CDC recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity at least five days per week or to get at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise at least three days per week.

Examples of moderate activity include brisk walking, bicycling, gardening, or anything else that gets the heart rate or breathing rate up slightly.

Examples of vigorous activity include running, aerobics, heavy yard work, or anything else that causes large increases in heart rate or breathing.

Disability and Activity Data

The CDC's new report appears in tomorrow's edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Data came from about 350,000 people who participated in a nationwide health survey conducted by phone in 2005.

Participants were asked if their activities were limited in any way because of physical, mental, or emotional problems, or if they had any health problem that required special equipment such as a wheelchair or cane.

Those who answered yes were considered to have a disability. Almost one in five adults fit that category.

The survey only included people who aren't living in institutions, so the number of adults with disabilities may actually be higher, notes the CDC.

Staying Active With a Disability

WebMD talked to James Graves, PhD, dean of the University of Utah's College of Health, about physical activity for people with a disability.

"Physical activity is important for everybody," Graves tells WebMD.

"It is essential to maintain health and well-being, and there are a whole host of chronic diseases that are associated with physical inactivity," says Graves.

Graves says people with disabilities face "unique barriers" to physical activity, such as health and recreation facilities that have not been designed to accommodate them.

But skipping physical activity can worsen the situation when people with disabilities get out of shape.

"This deconditioning results in secondary help problems -- diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, etc." which "further exacerbates the limitations of the disability," Graves says.

His advice for people with disabilities of any kind:

• See a doctor to get medical approval for physical activity.


• Seek a well-known community health and fitness facility that has personal trainers who can at least get you started.


• Gradually increase the intensity of your activity.


• Look for ways to make your daily life more active.

Most Active States

Most Americans have room for improvement in their level of physical activity.

Overall, less than half of adults -- 46.8% -- report meeting the government's minimum recommended amount of physical activity.

The CDC's report shows how states (and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C.) ranked in their 2005 percentage of adults who met the government's minimal physical activity recommendation.

Places with the same percentage of physically active adults are ranked together.

1. Alaska: 56.7%


2. Vermont: 55.9%


3. Wisconsin: 55.6%


4. Wyoming: 54.8%


5. Montana: 54.7%


6. New Hampshire: 54.4%


7. Oregon: 54.3%


8. Washington: 52.9%


9. Maine and Utah: 52.8%


10. California: 52.7%


11. Colorado: 52.5%


12. Arizona and Idaho: 52.3%


13. Hawaii: 52%


14. Massachusetts: 51.3%


15. Washington, D.C.: 50.7%


16. Connecticut: 50%


17. New Mexico and Rhode Island: 49.6%


18. Minnesota and Nevada: 49.5%


19. Virginia: 48.8%


20. Michigan: 48%


21. Kansas: 47.8%


22. Maryland and Ohio: 47.6%


23. Pennsylvania: 47.5%


24. North Dakota: 47.1%


25. South Dakota: 46.9%


26. New York: 46.4%


27. Indiana: 46.1%


28. Illinois and Missouri: 45.8%


29. Nebraska: 45.3%


30. Iowa: 45.2%


31. Texas: 44.8%


32. Arkansas and Delaware: 44.7%


33. New Jersey: 44.5%


34. Florida: 44.4%


35. South Carolina: 43.7%


36. Alabama: 41.9%


37. Oklahoma: 41.3%


38. North Carolina: 41.1%


39. U.S. Virgin Islands: 40.4%


40. Georgia: 40.2%


41. West Virginia: 39.6%


42. Mississippi: 38.6%


43. Louisiana: 36.5%


44. Tennessee: 35.4%


45. Kentucky: 32.9%


46. Puerto Rico: 32.2%

The CDC also lists the percentage of people who are physically inactive, defined as those who report being physically active for less than 10 minutes per week. Very few people -- almost 16% nationwide -- were in that category.

Here are the state-by-state rankings, plus Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. Places with the same percentage of physically
inactive adults are ranked together.

1. Puerto Rico: 37.3%


2. Kentucky: 28.8%


3. Louisiana: 25.3%


4. Tennessee: 24.3%


5. West Virginia: 24%


6. U.S. Virgin Islands: 22.3%


7. Mississippi: 21.9%


8. Alabama: 20.1%


9. North Carolina: 19.5%


10. Georgia: 19%


11. Oklahoma: 18.1%


12. New Jersey: 18%


13. New York: 17.1%


14. Rhode Island: 17%


15. Arkansas: 16.8%


16. Florida: 16.7%


17. Texas and Washington, D.C.: 16.1%


18. Illinois: 16%


19. Nebraska: 15.9%


20. Indiana: 15.1%


21. Delaware: 14.9%


22. Maryland, Massachusetts, and South Carolina: 14.8%


23. Iowa and Michigan 14.6%


24. Pennsylvania: 14.5%


25. Kansas: 14.3%


26. New Mexico: 14.2%


27. Ohio: 14.1%


28. Missouri: 13.6%


29. South Dakota: 13.5%


30. Connecticut, Idaho, and Nevada: 12.9%


31. Arizona: 12.7%


32. North Dakota: 12.6%


33. California: 12.5%


34. Hawaii: 12.4%


35. Maine: 12.2%


36. Virginia: 12.1%


37. New Hampshire: 12%


38. Alaska and Oregon: 11.8%


39. Wyoming: 11.7%


40. Minnesota: 11.4%


41. Vermont: 11.2%


42. Colorado: 10.8%


43. Montana and Washington: 10.6%


44. Wisconsin: 9.6%


45. Utah: 9.5%