Couch Potatoes and Small Fries: “Sedentary Death Syndrome” on the Rise

Our slothful lifestyle is killing us—literally. Americans increasingly run the risk of SeDS:  Sedentary Death Syndrome. A group of hypokinetic diseases, or diseases that result from inactivity, causes 250,000 deaths each year in the United States, 12 percent of all deaths and one-third of preventable deaths. These diseases lead to $300 billion per year in unnecessary health care costs, one-fourth of all health care costs, and costs that are equivalent to 25 times the budget of the National Institutes of Health. These diseases don’t just affect adults, but children as well. Between l980-1994, obesity in American children increased 100 percent, 60 percent of overweight children have developed at least one cardiovascular risk factor and type 2 diabetes is on the rise in children. To learn more about SeDS, contact Sally Blank, associate professor of exercise science at WSU Spokane, at seblank@wsu.edu or at 509.358.7633.