# Physical inactivity

Risk factor · id `cardio:physical-inactivity` · Cardiovascular Atlas · release `5dcd9b263fe17744` (public)

> General information from published sources, not medical advice, and not reviewed by clinicians. Check the cited source before relying on anything here.

The atlas's own text and curation may be reused under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/): credit the atlas, and do not use it commercially. See the atlas About page. Text quoted from a source stays under that source's own terms, given as the source's reuse\_basis. The atlas's reuse terms do not cover it. The downloads list each quotation with its source in third\_party\_quotations.

Also called: Sedentary behavior; Not being physically active

Browse, organ or system: Heart  
Browse, condition area: Risk and prevention  

## In plain language

Not getting regular physical activity. WHO lists it as a modifiable risk factor for high blood pressure. In the United States, 29.1% of adults were physically inactive in 2015 to 2016, down from 30.9% in 2011 to 2012, by the definition used in the Million Hearts baseline report. MedlinePlus says regular exercise has many benefits, including a lower risk of many long-term diseases, and that aerobic exercise helps keep the heart, lungs and circulation healthy. Its cardiac rehabilitation page also lists not exercising among the risk factors that rehabilitation teaches people to reduce.

## Technical summary

The MeSH heading Sedentary Behavior (D057185) is a broad match, not an exact one. Definitions differ by source: the Million Hearts report counts an adult as inactive when they report no light to moderate or vigorous leisure-time physical activity for at least 10 minutes. Evidence recorded: a WHO risk-factor list for hypertension (descriptive claim, no effect size) and the US prevalence figures (burden claim). No effect size for inactivity and heart disease is recorded here.

## Claims, with the population each applies to

## Context: US adults aged 18 and older in the National Health Interview Survey (Million Hearts baseline report)

Recipient: Adult; Population: US adults aged 18 and older; the physical inactivity analyses included 202,941 adults from 2011 to 2016 (report).; Care setting: Survey data from the National Health Interview Survey.; Geography: United States; Life stage: Adults aged 18 and older; Follow-up: Two-year survey cycles from 2011-2012 to 2015-2016.

### In the Million Hearts 2022 baseline report on key cardiovascular disease risk factors, the prevalence of physical inactivity among US adults was 29.1% during 2015 to 2016, a small but statistically significant decrease from 30.9% during 2011 to 2012. The report defines physical inactivity as reporting no light to moderate or vigorous leisure-time physical activity for at least 10 minutes, and it treats physical inactivity as one of the cardiovascular disease risk factors targeted for reduction by the initiative.

- Category: Burden
- Evidence stage: Observational
- Certainty: Certainty not assessed
- Applies to: Recipient: Adult; Population: US adults aged 18 and older; the physical inactivity analyses included 202,941 adults from 2011 to 2016 (report).; Care setting: Survey data from the National Health Interview Survey.; Geography: United States; Life stage: Adults aged 18 and older; Follow-up: Two-year survey cycles from 2011-2012 to 2015-2016.
- Limitations: The figures are from US survey data on adults and describe how common inactivity was, not how much it raises the risk. They cover 2015 to 2016 and earlier years; this record has not looked for later data.
- Last checked: 2026-10-15
- Sources:
  1. Supports: Vital Signs: Prevalence of Key Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors for Million Hearts 2022 — United States, 2011–2016 (Publication, edition PMC Open Access subset full-text XML, from NCBI E-utilities.) <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132182/>
     Locator: Results, para 7. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:48:14Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: f4ba555ec87878907faf09b176295eb6843d41bc9badf8a1c4c872c167e2f1a3.
     How it applies: Prevalence in 2015-2016 and the change since 2011-2012.
  2. Supports: Vital Signs: Prevalence of Key Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors for Million Hearts 2022 — United States, 2011–2016 (Publication, edition PMC Open Access subset full-text XML, from NCBI E-utilities.) <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132182/>
     Locator: Abstract, Introduction, sentences 2 and 3; Abstract, Results, sentence 2. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:48:14Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: f4ba555ec87878907faf09b176295eb6843d41bc9badf8a1c4c872c167e2f1a3.
     How it applies: The report treats physical inactivity as a targeted risk factor.
  3. Background: Vital Signs: Prevalence of Key Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors for Million Hearts 2022 — United States, 2011–2016 (Publication, edition PMC Open Access subset full-text XML, from NCBI E-utilities.) <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132182/>
     Locator: Methods, physical inactivity definition. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:48:14Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: f4ba555ec87878907faf09b176295eb6843d41bc9badf8a1c4c872c167e2f1a3.
     How it applies: How the survey defines physical inactivity.

## Context: Risk factors for hypertension as listed by WHO

Recipient: Recipient not specified; Population: Not defined for the risk-factor list. The fact sheet's key facts concern adults aged 30 to 79 years.; Care setting: Not stated in the source.; Geography: Worldwide (WHO fact sheet).; Life stage: Not stated for the risk-factor list; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not stated in the source.

### The WHO hypertension fact sheet (25 September 2025) lists physical inactivity among the modifiable risk factors for hypertension, together with unhealthy diets, consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and being overweight or obese. Its overview list of things that increase the risk of having high blood pressure includes not being physically active.

- Category: Description
- Evidence stage: Guidance
- Certainty: Certainty not assessed
- Applies to: Recipient: Recipient not specified; Population: Not defined for the risk-factor list. The fact sheet's key facts concern adults aged 30 to 79 years.; Care setting: Not stated in the source.; Geography: Worldwide (WHO fact sheet).; Life stage: Not stated for the risk-factor list; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not stated in the source.
- Limitations: This is a risk-factor list on a WHO fact sheet. It gives no effect size, no population for the list and no certainty rating, and it does not say how much inactivity raises the risk. It concerns hypertension, not coronary artery disease or other heart conditions.
- Last checked: 2026-10-15
- Sources:
  1. Supports: Hypertension (WHO fact sheet) (Webpage, edition WHO fact sheet fetched 2026-10-15; the page is dated 25 September 2025.) <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension>
     Locator: Risk factors, paragraph 1. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:49:17Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 32ffbba46cfbc27cba316446a74eaf7ebc28af89d3b245232bc426c70842d902.
     How it applies: Modifiable risk factors include physical inactivity.
  2. Supports: Hypertension (WHO fact sheet) (Webpage, edition WHO fact sheet fetched 2026-10-15; the page is dated 25 September 2025.) <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension>
     Locator: Overview, list of things that increase risk. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:49:17Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 32ffbba46cfbc27cba316446a74eaf7ebc28af89d3b245232bc426c70842d902.
     How it applies: The overview list includes not being physically active.
  3. Background: Hypertension (WHO fact sheet) (Webpage, edition WHO fact sheet fetched 2026-10-15; the page is dated 25 September 2025.) <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension>
     Locator: Overview, paragraph 1. Retrieved 2026-10-15T13:49:17Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 32ffbba46cfbc27cba316446a74eaf7ebc28af89d3b245232bc426c70842d902.
     How it applies: The fact sheet's definition of hypertension.

## Connected pages

- WHO fact sheet: physical inactivity is on its list of modifiable risk factors for hypertension (a list, with no effect size): Hypertension (high blood pressure) (`core:hypertension`) [a claim, not a settled fact; see claim `cardio:claim-physical-inactivity-hypertension-risk-who` and its context]
- Related to: MedlinePlus (`core:medlineplus`)

## Provenance

Content hash: 63a94d37a6ab735e9dbc1f68c6d5737d78f4c1a3167e330a718a0809a7b64cbd
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-15
Evidence last checked: 2026-10-15