RTC:Rural Rural Institute University of Montana

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CDC’s May 2014 Vital Signs


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the May 2014 issue of Vital Signs™, entitled Adults with Disabilities, Physical Activity is For Everybody. This report shares new data and calls to action on the importance of physical activity for adults with disabilities.

Key Highlights:

•  More than 21 million working age adults (18-64 years of age) in the U.S. have a disability, and nearly half of them get no aerobic physical activity.

•  Working age adults with disabilities who do not get any aerobic physical activity are 50 percent more likely than their active peers to have a chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, or heart disease.

•    Adults with disabilities are 82 percent more likely to be physically active if their doctor recommended it.

•    There are 5 steps that doctors can use to discuss and recommend physical activity to their adult patients with disabilities.