Updated October 2022

Author: Physical Activity and Nutrition Program, Vermont Department of Health

Approximately 17% of Vermonters get no leisure time physical activity in 2020. The percentage of Vermonters not participating in leisure time physical activity was was 19% in 2019.

Adults spend long hours, mostly sitting, at work and arrive home only to sit in front of televisions or computers to relax. The rural nature of Vermont and its poor “active transportation” infrastructure (i.e. incomplete or inadequate sidewalks, bicycle facilities, public transit) results in Vermonters needing to spend additional time sitting in cars to get to where they need or want to go. Busy lifestyles with limited opportunities to be active in “everyday lives”, plus a culture that supports screen time for “recreation” has resulted in low rates of physical activity for all.

Being physically active has many benefits and is one of the most important things people can do to improve their health. Regular physical activity can reduce the burden of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, and can prevent early death. Physical activity can also help people with chronic diseases manage their conditions and has other health benefits, too. It can help manage weight and prevent falls, reduce depression, and may improve cognitive abilities.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, any amount of physical activity is beneficial. Ideally, though, adults should do at least 2½ hours of moderate-intensity physical activity (like walking), 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination, each week.

This indicator is part of Healthy Vermonters 2020 (the State Health Assessment) that documents the health status of Vermonters at the start of the decade and the population health indicators and goals that will guide the work of public health through 2020.

• Vermont Department of Health, Offices of Local Health: Chronic Disease Designees in the Offices of Local Health work with communities and worksites to increase policies that promote physical activity.
• Vermont Agency of Transportation: Promotes Complete Streets and other ways to make walking and biking a safe and attractive transportation option.
• Agency of Commerce and Community Development: Supports communities with healthy community design.
• AARP-VT: Promotes healthy community design to support physical activity in our elder community.
• Regional Planning Commissions: Work include health promoting language in town plans.
• Municipal planners and officials (parks and recreation, public works, Selectboards)
• Governors Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Promotes physical activity through ski and park passes and worksite wellness promotion.
• Department of Forest Parks and Recreation: Provides state parks for recreation.
• Healthcare providers: Includes discussion of the importance of physical activity with patients.
• Worksites: Provide opportunities for physical activity during the work day, including flex time for exercise and worksite gardens.

The CDC outlines a number of ways adults can increase their levels of physical activity; from an individual level (taking walks with friends and participating in city planning efforts for walking paths/sidewalks) to employers helping create and support worksite wellness programs for their employees, to state and local governments that aid in developing communities that are walk/bike friendly, all the way to the federal level, where the government studies, develops and implements strategies and plans to make physical activity accessible for everyone.

According to the Guide to Community Preventive Services, behavior change programs, social supports, community wide informational campaigns, and environmental and policy approaches, are all recommended for increasing rates of physical activity. This may include educating individuals about the benefits of physical activity and teaching them skills on ways to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines, engaging many sectors to promote messages and support physical activity and creating safe, accessible places for people to be active (sidewalks, parks, bike lanes). Each of these alone is effective, however, implementing several or all (i.e. using a “multi-level approach”) would provide additional benefit.

Since 2008, the Vermont Department of Health has focused its efforts on municipal level, environmental and policy approaches. This has been done by providing grants and training to community coalitions who were required to build partnerships with local health advocates, residents, and town leaders to work toward improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities, parks, recreation and open space, and support mixed use development (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommended Community Strategies to Prevent Obesity in the United States).

Office of Local Health staff participated in the trainings and participate as partners in this work. Beginning in state FY2016, funding for the community coalitions ended. Many of the Office of Local Health staff  continue this work under the Health Department’s 3-4-50 initiative, encouraging Cities and Towns to sign on to create communities where people can be physically active in their everyday lives.  

In addition, the State leads a robust Worksite Wellness program that includes a strong focus on helping workplaces develop and implement policies, systems and environmental strategies to support employee physical activity. The State has developed a toolkit for worksites, provides grants, technical assistance and support to worksites (through the Offices of Local Health) and, with partners, hosts an annual conference to recognize workplace wellness programs and provide training to over 400 worksites wellness professionals.

Vermont tracks risk behaviors and chronic disease using a telephone survey of adults called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Since 1990, Vermont, along with the 49 other states, Washington D.C. and U.S. territories, has participated in the BRFSS with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/brfss). The CDC provides the Vermont Department of Health with funding each year to carry out the survey. Several thousand Vermonters are randomly and anonymously selected and called annually, on both landlines and cell phones. An adult (18 or older) is asked a uniform set of questions. The results are weighted to represent the adult population of the state.

Note that beginning in 2011 the CDC implemented changes to the BRFSS weighting methodology in order to more accurately represent the adult population. While this makes calculations more representative of the population, the changes in methodology also limit the ability to compare results from 2011 forward with those from previous years. The Vermont Department of Health recommends that comparisons between BRFSS data from 2011 forward and earlier years be made with caution. Statistical differences may be due to methodological changes, rather than changes in opinion or behavior.

Age adjustment is used for comparison of regions with varying age breakdowns. In order to remain consistent with the methods of comparison at a national level, some statistics in Vermont are age adjusted. In cases where age adjustment was noted as being part of the statistical analysis, the estimates were adjusted based on the proportional age breakdowns of the U.S. population in 2000. For more detailed information on age adjustment visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statnt/statnt20.pdf.

Prevalence and percentages are calculated by using descriptive statistical procedures using software such as SPSS, SAS, and/or SUDAAN. These statistics describe the proportion of individuals with a given trait in the population during a specified period of time.