More adults – including people with arthritis – were walking in 2010 than they were five years earlier, according to a report released in 2012 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, in Atlanta.

Specifically, the number of Americans who walk at least 10 minutes at a time at least one day a week increased from 55.7 percent in 2005 to 62 percent in 2010 – a jump of more than 6 percent. And among people with arthritis, the increase was about 4 percent. “So the findings are very robust,” says Joan M. Dorn, PhD, chief of the physical activity and health branch in the CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

The numbers were released in a “Vital Signs” report on walking prevalence published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The issue looked at 2005 and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys – cross-sectional samples of tens of thousands of Americans who were asked about, among other things, their walking habits (for transportation, fun or exercise).

In addition to a nationwide increase in walking, the report found that walking is most common in the western part of the country. But people in the South, who have traditionally had higher rates of obesity, heart disease and stroke, saw the highest percentage increase in the proportion of people who walk – from about 49 percent in 2005 to about 57 percent in 2010. 

“Perhaps because walking is so accessible, we are seeing increases in all parts of the country, all age groups, all races and ethnicities,” CDC director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, said in a conference call with reporters. “This is good news that’s really across the board.”
 

But the report also highlights a need for many more Americans to join the movement. It shows only 48 percent of Americans are getting the government-recommended two-and-a-half hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, like brisk walking.

Calling physical activity a “wonder drug,” Dr. Frieden stressed that getting the recommended amount of physical activity is important because it decreases a person’s risk of developing a range of physical and mental health problems, from heart disease and diabetes to depression and cognitive decline. For people with arthritis especially, walking and other physical activity can reduce pain and improve function and quality of life.

“We’re excited that people with arthritis are walking more,” says Patience White, MD, the Arthritis Foundation’s vice president for public health. “But we really now need to focus on people with arthritis to bring them up to the national average or better.”

The CDC says individuals can do their part; one way is to start walking groups with friends. But there is a larger role for communities, too.

The CDC report calls on communities to explore a variety of ways to encourage walking – by creating safe walking paths, for instance, or opening school tracks to the public once the school day is finished.

“If you want to walk and there’s no park, you’re probably not going to do it,” Dr. White says. “This [Arthritis Foundation] report is about what can be changed in the environment to make physical activity a positive choice for someone with arthritis. You want to make the healthy choice the easy choice. You don’t want to make it hard for people who finally make the decision to be physically active, and walking is a popular choice.”

Dr. White recommends that if a person is inspired to walk more talk it over with a doctor first. The Arthritis Foundation’s Walk With Ease program is a great place to start, she adds.