Physical Activity Tied to Annual Income Level

Higher annual household income is associated with more intense, but less frequent physical activity and increased sedentary time, according to the results of a recent study.

In the study, 5206 National Health and Examination Survey participants wore accelerometers that reported physical activity levels during a 2-day period, and 7-day period.
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Overall, the researchers found that individuals with an annual income of $75,000 or more engaged in 4.6 more minutes a day of moderate or vigorous activity compared with the reference group (<$20,000 annual income). Individuals with higher incomes were also 1.6 and 1.9 times more likely to meet physical activity guidelines during the 2- and 7-day period, respectively, than those with lower incomes. However, individuals with higher incomes spent 11.8 more minutes being sedentary than lower income individuals.

“In conclusion, higher annual household income is related to more intense, less frequent (per week) patterns of physical activity and more daily sedentary time.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Shuval K, Li Q, Gabriel KP, Tchernis R. Income, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the ‘weekend warrior’ among U.S. adults [published online August 10, 2017]. Preventive Medicine.        https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.07.033.