One in Four Americans Gets No Exercise

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A quarter of all Americans get virtually no exercise, raising their risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, a government report said.

Only 19 percent get a "high" level of physical activity at work or in their free time, the survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found.

The report, based on 32,000 interviews conducted in 2000, found blacks and Hispanics were less likely to exercise than whites, with just 15 percent reporting they get a high level of physical activity.

Education, income and marital status all affect whether someone exercises.

"About one in four adults with an advanced degree engage in a high level of overall physical activity, compared to one in seven of those with less than a high school diploma," the NCHS said in a statement.

"Adults with incomes below the poverty level are three times as likely to be physically inactive as adults in the highest income group."

Married women are more likely to exercise than women who have not married and men are more likely to exercise than women. The southern United States has the highest percentage of couch potatoes.