The ‘Laziest’ states in the US
Alabama is the laziest state in the US, with data showing 31.5% of adults being physically inactive
Mississippi and Arkansas come second and third, respectively
Research has revealed the laziest states in the US, with Alabama coming out on top.
The study by online fitness resource TotalShape.com analysed a study from America’s Health Rankings to see which states had the highest percentage of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days.
It found that Alabama topped the study with the highest percentage of inactive adults, with 31.5%. Physical inactivity among those aged 65 and over in the state sits at 41.3%, which is more than ten percentage points higher than the national average of 31.2%. Inactivity of adults aged 45-64 also sits at 37.4%, 12 percentage points higher than the national average of 25.4% for that age group.
Ohio takes tenth place on the list, with 25.9% adults reporting no physical activity of exercise other than their regular job. 35.6% of those aged 65+ reporting being physically inactive, with 29.5% for 45-64 year olds and 18.1% for 18-44 year olds, which is actually below the national average of 19.4%.
Coming in second is the state of Mississippi, which comes in with a percentage of 30.9%. 25% of adults aged between reported being physically inactive, with 35.6% of adults aged 45-64 and 36.2% of adults aged 65 and over reporting the same.
The southern state of Arkansas takes third place on the list, with a percentage of 30.6%. 40% of adults aged over 65 reported physical inactivity, which is almost ten percentage points higher than the national average of 31.2%. 34.3% of adults aged 45-64 and 23% of adults aged 18-44 also reported the same thing.
Tied for fourth place are the states of West Virginia and Kentucky, both coming in with a percentage of 30.5%. In West Virginia, 41% of adults over 65 reported physical inactivity, whereas 37.2% reported the same in Kentucky. Physical inactivity among adults aged 45-64 is around the same in both states, with West Virginia reporting 34.2% and Kentucky reporting 33.2%. When it comes to adults aged 18-44, West Virginia saw 20.6% of this age group report physical inactivity, and in Kentucky, this sits at 25.2%
Rounding out the top five is Louisiana, coming in with an overall percentage of 29.4%. 40.5% of adults over 65 reported physical inactivity, and 30.1% of adults aged 45-64 reported the same thing. 23.6% of adults aged 18-44 also reported physical inactivity.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for TotalShape.com said: “While it can be understood that older generations across the US are more inactive from this data, it’s still interesting to see the marginal differences in some states compared to the national average. Additionally, this data shouldn’t serve as a condemnation, but more of an inspiration to add some kind of fitness routine into your lifestyle, whether it be the likes of cardio or strength training, there’s something for all generations. Even walking can be enough for older generations to keep a good level of fitness to prevent things like heart disease at an older age.”
Source: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
