Differences in the prevalence of physical inactivity in the United States exist by race/ethnicity and location, according to new CDC maps.
The data come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an ongoing state-based, telephone interview survey conducted by CDC and state health departments. This survey asked respondents if, in the past month, they did any physical activity outside of their regular job. People who said “no” were classified as inactive.
These maps use combined data from 2017 through 2020 for 52 jurisdictions: 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. Data for New Jersey were not reported because data were not collected in 2019. Combining four years of data allowed analysis of physical inactivity among different racial and ethnic groups. Data from individual years is available through BRFSS.