West Virginia University Extension physical activity specialist and assistant professor Christiaan Abildso examined how adults in rural and urban areas of the United States vary in what types of physical activity they prefer and how those preferences relate to meeting physical activity guidelines.
The research article by Abildso, Adults’ Leisure-time Physical Activity Preferences and Association with Physical Activity Guidelines by Metropolitan Status, was published in the open-access journal PLOS One on April 1.
“This is a national survey that is done every year by the CDC. What nobody has ever done with the data, is look at the rural-urban differences in what people like to do and how they spend their time being physically active,” Abildso said.
As expected, walking was the most common physical activity by far. But, Abildso noted, almost a quarter of people that prefer to walk don’t meet the 150 minutes a week of aerobic activity guideline for health benefits.
For rural communities where Abildso and his co-authors work, physical activity isn’t always an everyday gym visit. Instead, it may be viewed as something as simple as cleaning the house or working outdoors.
“When we saw the data, people in more rural areas and small towns tended to do activity that’s much more functional,” Abildso said. “They’re lower on sports and exercise and fitness, but they do more things like work in and around the house. It makes sense when you think about what people have access to from a built-environment perspective.”
Abildso also suggests that physical activity isn’t viewed the same by everyone, depending on social and cultural norms.
“Culturally and socially, physical activity isn’t quite accepted yet in some places,” Abildso said. “When I ask folks in smaller towns, 'where do people go for a walk or run?’ I’ve heard people say, ‘if I’m running, that’s because somebody’s chasing me,’ or ‘if it isn’t work, it isn’t worth doing.’”
The goal for Abildso’s work is to identify how to help communities create great spaces for people to be physically active. This effort closely aligns with the mission of WVU Extension, which is to improve the lives and livelihoods of all West Virginians.
While national guidelines encourage adults to move more, sit less and aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, Abildso emphasizes that those recommendations are hard to meet without supportive environments.
“It’s not just about wagging a finger at someone and saying, ‘you should be active,’ you can’t throw someone with good intentions into an environment that tells them they should be sitting all day. It’s hard to fight that battle every day,” Abildso said.
For some communities, access is still a major barrier.
“In some places, people just don’t have a safe place to go for a walk or get a bike ride in. We’ve got to help people have that choice,” Abildso said.
To support physical activity long-term, Abildso finds that investing in spaces where people can be active is most important.
“The places that are thriving are really investing in places for people to be active,” Abildso said. “That’s a sign of a healthy people and thriving community – people out and about, kids running and playing, and people out talking to each other.”
If you want to learn more about WVU Extension, visit extension.wvu.edu or follow @WVUExtension on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.
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