What you can do to get active and stay healthy. Thank you to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) for providing this valuable information.
“Without health and long life, all else fails.”
– Dr. Booker T. Washington
Dr. Booker T. Washington recognized that health is the key to progress and equity in all other things. Accordingly, he proposed the observance of “National Negro Health Week” in April 1915. He called on local health departments, schools, churches, businesses, professional associations and the most influential organizations in the African-American community to “pull together” and “unite… in one great National Health Movement.” That observance grew into what is today a month-long initiative: National Minority Health Month. This effort seeks to advance health equity across the country on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities.
In this post, we will focus on the contribution of physical activity. It is one of the best things people can do to improve their health. In general, too few Americans get the recommended amount of daily activity. In fact, only 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 high school students fully meet physical activity guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. These numbers are even lower among adults in some racial and ethnic minority populations.
Physical activity promotes health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Importantly, these conditions are often more common and more severe among racial and ethnic minority groups. Physical activity also fosters normal growth and development in children. Also, it improves mental health and can make people feel, function and sleep better.
