Households that bring in less than $50,000 are exceedingly inactive according to new numbers included in the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s annual fitness tracking survey.
The survey included a total of 24,134 online interviews completed by a nationwide sample of both individuals (11,453) and households (12,681). SFIA's definition of "inactivity" includes those survey respondents who reported no physical activity in 2016, or who participated in 16 sports/fitness activities that require little to no physical exertion.
According to the report, activity levels in 2016 increased in households with family incomes above $75,000, while inactivity is the trend in households that make below $50,000. Overall, inactivity continues to be a problem, with 27.5 percent of respondents classifying themselves as inactive.
Certain fitness activities did see a large spike in participation, including cross-training (up 10.3 percent), stair-climbing machine workouts (13.9 percent) and aquatic exercise (14.6 percent).
Tom Cove, SFIA president and CEO, said in a statement that Americans are choosing what they want to participate in based on their preferences and needs. “Our data shows this trend by proving that Americans are choosing a wide range of fitness activities, from cross-training to aquatic exercises.”
Additionally, SFIA’s data reports that the positive trend continues of health club memberships increasing by 1 million every year since 2012.
