Creating the Future of Physical Activity Surveillance in the United States: Better Data for Better Health

An extensive body of knowledge documents the powerful influence that physical activity exerts on the public’s health.1–4 This body of knowledge has grown dramatically over the past half-century, and it is now well-established that physical activity produces a wide range of health benefits in essentially all segments of the population.1,3,5–9 Accordingly, over the past several decades, public health organizations across the world have increasingly recognized the importance of physical activity.10,11 In the United States, this expanding public health role is perhaps best exemplified by the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which were first released in 2008 and then updated in 2018.12,13 These guidelines include detailed physical activity recommendations for population subgroups ranging from preschoolers to older persons. Most Americans do not fully meet the federal physical activity guidelines14 and, consequently, well-resourced public health initiatives are needed to increase physical activity in the US population. Surveillance is an essential component of public health planning and practice, as it provides ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of outcome-specific data for use in planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health activities. As public health agencies have recognized the importance of physical activity, they have included physical activity monitoring in public health surveillance systems. In contrast to other health behaviors, such as diet and tobacco use, physical activity is a relatively recent focus of public health, and many gaps still exist in surveillance of physical activity. This commentary makes the case for why and how to strengthen physical activity surveillance in the United States. The specific purposes of the commentary are to (1) highlight the strengths and limitations of current physical activity surveillance in the United States, (2) summarize recommended actions for enhancement of physical activity surveillance, and (3) call for actions across multiple societal sectors to support creation of robust physical activity surveillance in the United States.