A study just published in the The American Journal of Medicine shows that over the past 20 years, a decrease in physical activity seems more responsible than dietary habits for increasing obesity in the United States. During the past two decades the caloric intake of the average American has remained steady, while physical activity of the average person has decreased significantly, especially among women. Research done at Stanford University discovered that the number of US adult women who describe themselves as getting little or no leisure physical activity jumped from 19% in 1994 to 52% in 2010. For men, the number increased from 11.% in 1994 to 44% in 2010. During the same period, obesity in the U.S. has been increasing with the biggest increase found among women ages 18-39. Since the average person’s caloric intake has not changed during that time, decreased physical activity seems to be the most important factor in increasing obesity.
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