The second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides evidence-based recommendations for adults and youth ages 3 through 17 to safely get the physical activity they need to stay healthy.
- Children ages 3-5 – Be active throughout the day to enhance growth and development. Adults caring for children this age should encourage active play (light, moderate, or vigorous intensity) and aim for at least 3 hours per day.
- Youth ages 6-17 – At least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity. Most activity can be aerobic, like walking, running, or anything that makes the heart beat faster. They also need activities that make their muscles and bones strong, like climbing on playground equipment, playing basketball, and jumping rope.
- Adults – At least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking or fast dancing, each week. Adults also need muscle-strengthening activity, like lifting weights or doing push-ups, at least 2 days each week.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force (Community Guide) has published several findings around promotion of physical activity, reduction of sedentary behavior, and obesity prevention with recommendations that inform the interventions selected for inclusion on EBCCP:
- Built Environment Approaches Combining Transportation System Interventions with Land Use and Environmental Design
- Campaigns That Include Mass Media and Health-Related Product Distribution (e.g., increased physical activity through pedometer distribution combined with walking campaigns)
- Classroom-based Physical Activity Break Interventions
- Classroom-based Physically Active Lesson Interventions
- Community-based Digital Health and Telephone Interventions to Increase Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
- Community-Wide Campaigns
- Creation of or Enhanced Access to Places for Physical Activity Combined with Informational Outreach Activities
- Digital Health Interventions for Adults 55 Years and Older
- Digital Health and Telephone Interventions to Increase Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Among Students at Institutions of Higher Education
- Enhanced School-Based Physical Education
- Family-Based Interventions
- Home-based Exercise Interventions for Adults Aged 65 years and Older
- Individually-Adapted Health Behavior Change Programs
- Interventions Including Activity Monitors for Adults with Overweight or Obesity
- Interventions to Increase Active Travel to School
- Park, Trail, and Greenway Infrastructure Interventions when Combined with Additional Interventions
- Point-of-Decision Prompts to Encourage Use of Stairs
- Social Support Interventions in Community Settings
- Worksite Digital Health and Telephone Interventions to Increase Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Strategies for School and Youth Programs webpage provides resources, toolkits, and success stories to support comprehensive youth physical activity programs before, during, and after school.
Additional evidence can be found in the following reports: