INDIANAPOLIS -- Military veterans are 8 percent more likely to meet federal physical activity recommendations than non-veterans, a recent study finds.
Some 46 percent of the veterans surveyed met exercise recommendations, which include at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five or more days a week, or 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise at least three times a week. In contrast, 42 percent of non-veterans surveyed met these requirements.
The study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, examined 34,000 adults.
“Some of the rigorous physical activity training required for military service appears to be sticking with veterans as they age,” writes Alyson Littman, Ph.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study.
Socioeconomic status also played a part in participant activity levels. Veterans with lower levels of education, minorities, and those older than 70 were significantly more active than non-veterans in the same groups, the study authors noted.