Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the American Time Use Survey.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey analysis of population time-use data (graded by design analogy)
PubMed 31560643 · doi:10.5888/pcd16.190017
What was done
The authors analyzed cross-sectional data from 32,048 respondents aged 15 years or older from the 2014–2016 American Time Use Survey. Every activity over a single 24-hour period was categorized into free/leisure time (socializing, entertainment, sports/recreation, volunteering, religious activities, personal-interest classes, and related travel) versus non-free time (labor, education, household chores/child care, self-care like sleep, eating, and grooming). Descriptive statistics adjusted for the survey's multistage sampling design were stratified by sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and body mass index.
What was found
Americans averaged over 5 hours (>300 minutes) of free time per day, and no subgroup averaged less than 4.5 hours (270 minutes). Men had more free time (mean [SD], 356 [3] min/d vs 318 [2] min/d, P < .001) and spent more time on leisure-time physical activity (mean [SD], 24 [3] min/d vs 14 [1] min/d, P < .001) than women. Compared to higher-income and college-educated individuals, those with income below 185% of federal poverty guidelines and those with a high school education had more free time but spent more of it on screens (television, movies) and less on physical activity (all comparisons P < .001).
Why it matters
This study shows that lack of free time is not the primary barrier preventing Americans from meeting physical activity guidelines across socioeconomic subgroups. Interventions may need to address how available leisure time is spent rather than focusing on time constraints.
Limits
The study is observational and cross-sectional, relying on single-day 24-hour recall that may not capture day-to-day individual variation. Occupational, transport, and household physical activity were not captured within the leisure-time physical activity metric.
Cited by
- supports The average American gets less than 20 minutes of physical activity per day.