Being physically active is one of the most valuable things a person can do to maintain good health.
The 2016 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP), sponsored by Interact for Health and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, asked Kentucky adults about neighborhood conditions and physical activity. Eight in 10 Kentucky adults (79 percent) said they were either very physically active (30 percent) or somewhat physically active (49 percent).
The results in Northern Kentucky were similar to statewide results.
Responses varied by self-reported health status. Nine in 10 adults with excellent, very good or good health (88 percent) said they were very or somewhat physically active. This compared with only 5 in 10 adults in fair or poor health (54 percent). Responses also varied by household income. Eighty-four percent of adults earning more than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) reported that they were very or somewhat physically active. This compared with 76 percent of adults earning 200% FPG or less.
“These surveys help us determine the issues Kentucky adults are facing and how to best focus our efforts to serve their needs,” says O’dell M. Owens, M.D., M.P.H., President/CEO of Interact for Health. “These results show that more can be done to help Kentucky adults get more active.” He adds, “This is particularly important, because we know that physical inactivity continues to be a major issue in our region and around the country.”
Most adults report good neighborhood conditions for exercise
KHIP asked about neighborhood conditions for physical activity. Three in 4 Kentucky adults (76 percent) rated their own neighborhood excellent, very good or good as a place to walk, jog or bike. One in 4 adults (24 percent) rated their neighborhood fair or poor.
Walking is great exercise.
Half of Kentucky adults (51 percent) said sidewalks and shoulders in their neighborhood were excellent, very good or good. About 4 in 10 (44 percent) said they were fair or poor. Northern Kentuckians were more likely to report better sidewalk conditions with 61 percent saying they were good or better (vs. 51 percent statewide).
KHIP also asked, “How safe is it to walk, jog or bike in your neighborhood?” Nearly 5 in 10 Kentucky adults (46 percent) said it was very safe, and more than 3 in 10 (35 percent) said it was somewhat safe. About 2 in 10 adults (19 percent) said their neighborhood was somewhat unsafe or not at all safe for exercise.
“Our region has a lot of great places to be active, including our own neighborhoods,” says Megan Folkerth, Program Officer, Interact for Health. “Interact for Health’s active living efforts build off those assets to help adults in our region get the exercise they need on a weekly basis.”
Ratings of conditions for exercise vary by region, income
Adults’ ratings of their neighborhood as a place to walk, jog or bike varied by region. More than 8 in 10 adults in the Louisville area (84 percent) rated their neighborhood excellent, very good or good. That compares with 81 percent in the Lexington area, 78 percent in Western Kentucky, 77 percent in Northern Kentucky, and 61 percent in Eastern Kentucky. Responses also varied by income. About 7 in 10 adults earning less than 200% FPG (71 percent) rated their neighborhood excellent, very good or good as a place to walk, jog or bike. This compares with nearly 8 in 10 adults earning more than 200% FPG (79 percent).
Most think increasing physical activity would improve health
Nearly 7 in 10 Kentucky adults (67 percent) said that increasing their level of exercise would improve their overall health. More than 2 in 10 (25 percent) said it would make no difference. Fewer than 1 in 10 (7 percent) said it could make their health worse. Northern Kentuckians are even more likely to say that increasing their level of activity would improve their health (73 percent versus 67 percent statewide).
Adults with more education were more likely to say that increased activity would improve their health. Those with less education were more likely to say it would make no difference.
More information about Kentuckians’ physical activity, and other topics, is available at www.interactforhealth.org/kentucky-health-issues-poll.
The 2016 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) is funded by Interact for Health and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. KHIP was conducted Sept. 11-Oct. 19, 2016, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.
A random sample of 1,580 adults from throughout Kentucky was interviewed by telephone. This included 827 landline interviews and 753 cell phone interviews with cell phone users. In 95 of 100 cases, the statewide estimates will be accurate to ± 2.5%. There are other sources of variation inherent in public opinion studies, such as non-response, question wording or context effects that can introduce error or bias. For more information about the Kentucky Health Issues Poll, please visit www.interactforhealth.org/kentucky-health-issues-poll or www.healthy-ky.org.
