While a new report issued by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association indicates that the number of "inactive" Americans remains high, there is a bit of good news: "Inactivity" rates among children ages 6 to 12 fell from 16.6 percent in 2010 to 16.0 percent in 2011, and "inactivity" rates among adolescents between 13 and 17 dropped slightly from 16.7 percent to 16.4 percent. "This may well be an early indication that the national efforts to get children off the couch and active have started to have an effect on their level of activity," SGMA president Tom Cove says, referring to the association's 2012 "Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report." "Among children age 6 to 12, 'inactivity' fell from 4.6 million in 2010 to 4.5 million in 2011. That change represents 100,000 children who are now considered 'active.' While this improvement is modest, it's a sign we are moving in the right direction as we focus on getting our children in better physical shape." Other highlights of the report, which features overall participation figures for 119 sports, include: ⢠Fitness activities are the most popular form of exercise or activity - especially with individuals born between 1980 and 1999. More than 50 million members of that demographic work out on machines, as do more than 45 million Baby Boomers (those born between 1945 and 1964). Seven out of the ten most popular athletic activities in the United States are fitness-related (walking, treadmill workouts, running/jogging, bicycling and three different forms of strength training). Group classes also remain a strong aspect of the fitness industry, with stationary cycling and yoga reaching all-time participation highs in 2011. ⢠The three most popular team sports are basketball (24.8 million participants), outdoor soccer (13.7 million participants) and baseball (13.6 million participants). Of 24 team sports listed, only three of them have had participation gains in the last year: ultimate Frisbee, lacrosse and gymnastics. ⢠The states with the highest percentage of "active" residents - defined as someone who participates in one or more high calorie-burning activities - are Utah, Idaho, New Hampshire, Colorado and Minnesota. The five states with the lowest levels of physical activity are Tennessee, New Mexico, Louisiana, West Virginia and Mississippi. ⢠The more often children between ages 6 and 12 participate in physical education programs at school, the more likely they are to be active during their adult years. Children not exposed to physical activity during early school years are less likely to be physically active as adults. For more information on the SGMA report, click here; to access the entire 44-page report, click here.
