Purpose

To examine whether knowledge of the 1995 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) national physical activity recommendations varies by sociodemographic, behavioral, and communication-related factors.

Methods

Cross-sectional analyses of 2381 participants in the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey, a national probability sample of the US population contacted via random-digit dial.

Results

Only a third of respondents were accurately knowledgeable of the CDC/ACSM physical activity recommendations. Recommendation knowledge was higher among women (OR = 1.70; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.35-2.14) than men, the employed compared with those not currently working (OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.55-0.95), foreign-born individuals (OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.15-2.30) compared with the US-born, and those meeting CDC/ACSM recommendations vs those who do not (OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.58-0.96).

Conclusions

There is not widespread knowledge of the consensus national physical activity recommendations. These findings highlight the need for more effective campaigns to promote physical activity among the American public.