US adults get failing grade in healthy lifestyle behavior

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/osu-uag032116.php

Public Release: 21-Mar-2016
US adults get failing grade in healthy lifestyle behavior
Oregon State University

Only 2.7 percent of the U.S. adult population achieves all four of some basic behavioral characteristics that researchers say would constitute a "healthy lifestyle" and help protect against cardiovascular disease, a recent study concluded.

In this study, researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Mississippi examined how many adults succeed in four general barometers that could help define healthy behavior: a good diet, moderate exercise, a recommended body fat percentage and being a non-smoker

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Such characteristics are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease as well as many other health problems, such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.

"The behavior standards we were measuring for were pretty reasonable, not super high," said Ellen Smit, senior author on the study and an associate professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences. "We weren't looking for marathon runners."

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Among the other findings of the research:

Although having more than one healthy lifestyle behavior is important, specific health characteristics may be most important for particular cardiovascular disease risk factors.

For healthy levels of HDL and total cholesterol, the strongest correlation was with normal body fat percentage.

A total of 71 percent of adults did not smoke, 38 percent ate a healthy diet, 10 percent had a normal body fat percentage, and 46 percent were sufficiently active.

Only 2.7 percent of all adults had all four healthy lifestyle characteristics, while16 percent had three, 37 percent had two, 34 percent had one, and 11 percent had none.

Women were more likely to not smoke and eat a healthy diet, but less likely to be sufficiently active.

Mexican American adults were more likely to eat a healthy diet than non-Hispanic white or black adults.

Adults 60 years and older had fewer healthy characteristics than adults ages 20-39, yet were more likely to not smoke and consume a healthy diet, and less likely to be sufficiently active.

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