Health-enhancing physical activity and the preventionof chronic diseases--an epidemiological review
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Published on: March 7, 2019
Jens Bucksch1, Wolfgang Schlicht
1Department of Human and Health Studies, University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Bremen, Germany. jbucksch@uni-bremen.de
Objectives:
To review the epidemiological evidence on the health-enhancing physical activity recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College for Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Methods:
Review of papers written in English and German, issued after the release of the CDC/ACSM recommendation (i.e. after 1995), restricted to adults and to their physical health. Due to the large body of published data, no systematic review was performed. Instead, a representative cross-section of the published studies is presented.
Results:
The international epidemiological evidence supports the CDC/ACSM recommendation as a reasonable public health message.
Conclusions:
According to this recommendation, the daily accumulation of 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity - independent of the context of physical activity (e.g. transport, leisure) - provides substantial benefits across a broad range of health outcomes for sedentary men and women. Nevertheless some controversial issues need further address.
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