Physical activity patterns in women.
Participation in regular physical activity provides numerous health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Among women, regular physical activity also may reduce the risks for breast cancer and osteoporosis ((1)). The Healthy People 2010 goals for the United States are to increase the quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities among residents. Important components in reaching the broad goal are reducing the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity to 20% and increasing the proportion of adults who engage in at least 30 minutes per day of regular, moderate physical activity ((2)).
Ainsworth
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School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA. bainsworth@sph.sc.edu.