Support for Policy Interventions to Increase Physical Activity in Rural Missouri

Over the past few decades, the health benefits of physical activity have been well documented.~ Physical inactivity is increasingly recognized as a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease. Lack of physical activity also is recognized as a risk factor for a variety of other chronic diseases, including hypertension, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, colon cancer, and osteoporosis? Despite its beneficial effects, most U.S. adults do not participate in regular physical activity. Nearly 30% of adult Americans engage in no leisure-time physical activity. 1