[Updated May 10, 2018]
Self-reported physical activity rates tend to decrease with age, especially in people with chronic disease, according to a recent CDC telephone survey of randomly-selected U.S. adults age 50 and older. Overall, 32% of surveyed adults with at least 1 of 7 chronic conditions – arthritis, cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes and stroke – reported no physical activity (such as fitness walking, golf, gardening or calisthenics) beyond daily living activities compared with 19% of those who had none of these conditions. In adults 75 and older with chronic disease, 37% reported no physical activity. Skipping physical activity (which can be modified to accommodate disease and disability) could mean missing out on ways to help manage a disease and its severity or ward off other chronic disease.
To Learn More: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 2016