Decreased physical activity has been related to several disease conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality, independent of obesity. Inactivity causes 11% of premature mortality in the United States, and caused more than 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths that occurred worldwide in 2008. In addition, physical inactivity at the county level is related to health care expenditures for circulatory system diseases. Physical activity improves sleep, cognitive ability, and bone and musculoskeletal health, as well as reduces risks of dementia. Physical inactivity is not only associated with individual behavior but also community conditions such as expenditures on recreational activities, access to infrastructure, and poverty.

For more information, please visit the Physical Inactivity for Cabarrus County Page on the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings.

Physical Inactivity is based on responses to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey and is the percentage of adults ages 20 and over reporting no leisure-time physical activity in the past month.

To learn more about the Measure Methods, please visit the Physical Inactivity, Measure Methods Section, on the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings Website.