Sociodemographic Correlates of Meeting US Department of Health and Human Services Muscle Strengthening Recommendations in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

INTRODUCTION: A growing body of evidence demonstrates the health benefits of muscular strength training. Physical activity recommendations encourage all adults to participate regularly in muscle strengthening activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of meeting the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) muscular strengthening recommendations by middle-aged and older adults and the sociodemographic characteristics associated with meeting these recommendations, using data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). METHODS: Data from the 2011 BRFSS were used to examine the prevalence of meeting the DHHS muscle strengthening recommendations by adults older than 45. Simple and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the sociodemographic characteristics associated with meeting the recommendations. RESULTS: Of respondents to the muscle strengthening question (N = 333,507), 79,029 (23.7%) reported meeting the muscle strengthening recommendations. Respondents who were female (odds ratio [OR] = 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78–0.83), widowed (OR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.66–0.72), 85 or older (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.58–0.68), Hispanic (OR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.67–0.78), with a body mass index of 30.0 kg/m(2) or higher (OR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.45–0.49), and with less than a high school education (OR = 0.32, 95% CI, 0.30–0.35) were less likely to meet the recommendations than their counterparts. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, age, education, and race/ethnicity are significantly associated with meeting the muscle strengthening recommendations, suggesting a need to create tailored interventions and messages to promote participation in strength training.