SPORTS MAGAZINE ADS



Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older

Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older

Group photo of senior friends   exercising together https://www.freepik.com/author/rawpix  el-com (illustrative purposes only).

OPEN ACCESS: Artigo disponível/Article available/Artículo disponible - ASSINANTE/SUBSCRIBER: Artigo para Assinante do periódico/Article for Journal Subscriber/Artículo para suscriptores de este periódico - PAY-PER-VIEW: Compre o artigo e leia/Buy the article and read/Compra el artículo y lee - IMAGE: Group photo of senior friends exercising together https://www.freepik.com/author/rawpix el-com (illustrative purposes only).



Authors

  • Roland Sturm RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California
  • Deborah A Cohen RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California

Keywords:

American Time Use Survey, Physical Activity, Public Health, Free Time, Motivation

Abstract

Many Americans fail to meet physical activity guidelines. We investigated whether this failure is due in part to a lack of free time.

References

(1) US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical activity guidelines for Americans. Second edition. Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services; 2018.

(2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Health Interview Survey: early release of selected estimates based on data from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey; 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/releases/released201905.htm. Accessed August 13, 2019.

(3) Carlson SA, Adams EK, Yang Z, Fulton JE. Percentage of deaths associated with inadequate physical activity in the United States. Prev Chronic Dis 2018;15:E38.

(4) Kushi LH, Doyle C, McCullough M, Rock CL, Demark-Wahnefried W, Bandera EV, et al. American Cancer Society Guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention: reducing the risk of cancer with healthy food choices and physical activity. CA Cancer J Clin 2012;62(1):30–67.

(5) Cohen DA, Han B, Nagel CJ, Harnik P, McKenzie TL, Evenson KR, et al. The first national study of neighborhood parks: implications for physical activity. Am J Prev Med 2016;51(4):419–26.

(6) Cohen DA, Lapham S, Evenson KR, Williamson S, Golinelli D, Ward P, et al. Use of neighbourhood parks: does socio-economic status matter? A four-city study. Public Health 2013;127(4):325–32.

(7) Cohen DA, Han B, Derose KP, Williamson S, Marsh T, Rudick J, et al. Neighborhood poverty, park use, and park-based physical activity in a Southern California city. Soc Sci Med 2012;75(12):2317–25.

(8) Robinson JP, Godbey G. Time for life: the surprising ways Americans use their time. University Park (PA): Pennsylvania State University Press; 1997.

(9) Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey; 2017. https://www.bls.gov/tus/home.htm. Accessed August 13, 2019.

(10) Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey user’s guide; 2019. https://www.bls.gov/tus/atususersguide.pdf. Accessed August 13, 2019.

(11) Aguiar M, Hurst E. Measuring trends in leisure: the allocation of time over five decades. Q J Econ 2007;122(3):969–1006.

(12) Joseph RP, Ainsworth BE, Keller C, Dodgson JE. Barriers to physical activity among African American women: an integrative review of the literature. Women Health 2015;55(6):679–99.

(13) Robinson JP, Martin S, Glorieux I, Minnen J. The overestimated workweek revisited. Mon Labor Rev 2011;134(6):43–53.

(14) Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, Carlson SA, Fulton JE, Galuska DA, et al. The physical activity guidelines for Americans. JAMA 2018;320(19):2020–8.

(15) Tudor-Locke C, Washington TL, Ainsworth BE, Troiano RP. Linking the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and the Compendium of Physical Activities: methods and rationale. J Phys Act Health 2009;6(3):347–53.

_______________________________________

Article adapted for publication in accordance with the journal's submission rules, under the public domain license of the Preventing Chronic Disease Journal.

AVISO LEGAL: As opiniões expressas pelos autores que contribuem para este artigo não refletem necessariamente as opiniões do Departamento de Saúde e Serviços Humanos dos EUA, do Serviço de Saúde Pública, dos Centros de Controle e Prevenção de Doenças ou das instituições afiliadas aos autores.

Published

2025-10-17

How to Cite

1.
Sturm R, Cohen DA. Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older: Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older. SportsMag [Internet]. 2025 Oct. 17 [cited 2026 Feb. 24];1(1):e001-3. Available from: https://sm.sportsmagazines.net/index.php/Sports-Magazine/article/view/3

ARK

SPORTS MAGAZINES ADS

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.