Final answer:
A large percentage of Americans are not getting enough physical activity to impact their health positively. With roughly 30 percent globally not getting enough exercise and about 50 percent of Americans not meeting recommended physical activity levels, the impact on U.S. public health is significant.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of how physically active Americans are is fundamental to understanding the public health concerns such as obesity and related chronic diseases.
The combination of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, with an estimated 30 percent of the global population getting insufficient exercise, and dietary habits that lean towards faster and cheaper, but less healthy meals, contributes to these health issues.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), adults should engage in a certain amount of physical activity each week to gain health benefits and increase lifespan.
Despite these recommendations, the prevalence of obesity suggests that a significant percentage of Americans are not meeting these guidelines.
Considering the data, it becomes evident that a considerable portion of the American population is not active enough to have a positive impact on health.
In the context of weight management, 42 percent of adults have made recent attempts to lose weight through various methods including exercise.
However, with nearly 36 percent of adults over 20 being obese and an additional 33 percent overweight, we can infer that a good portion of the population is not engaging in adequate physical activity.
This aligns with the report that about 50 percent of Americans are not consuming the recommended levels of physical activity, contributing to the nation's health crisis.