Oregon is known for an outdoorsy brand of fitness, and new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests this reputation goes beyond an affinity for the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

The study, released Wednesday, defines physical inactivity as not participating in activities such as running, walking for exercise, or gardening for a period of at least one month.

In Oregon, just 15-20% of residents polled ranked as physically inactive. That means that along with Washington, Utah, Colorado and the District of Columbia, Oregon ranks as one of the most active states in the country.

The results shed light on the complex factors that determine health. Across the U.S., all states had more than 15% of adults who were considered inactive, but differences between states and regions were significant:

Among states, Colorado had the lowest rate, 17.3% of physically inactive adults, while Puerto Rico had the highest at 47.7%.

By region, CDC findings showed that the West had the lowest rate of physical inactivity at 20.5% while the South had the highest rate at 28%.

“Physical inactivity is high across the U.S., and varies by location, race, and ethnicity,” said Emily Ussery, a CDC epidemiologist. “In most states, the prevalence of physical inactivity is higher among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adults compared to non-Hispanic white adults.”

According to Ussery, these differences depend on differences in environment and access to resources, including the way in which communities and streets are designed. “Many people in the U.S. do not have access to safe or convenient places where they can be active, like community parks, sidewalks, or trails,” said Ussery.

In the South, for example research found that adults are less likely to have access to environmental supports for physical activity.

In Oregon, the large populations concentrated in urban areas benefit from policies and environment that create access, such as robust public transit infrastructure, policies that hold schools accountable for keeping kids active, and pedestrian and bicycling laws.

These kind of social and economic factors are often the biggest predictors of activity levels, said Elizabeth Budd, an assistant professor at the University of Oregon College of Education.

“The community we live in is a strong indicator of our own activity level,” Budd said, “because it consists of infrastructure, policy and access to activity.”

According to the CDC, common individual barriers to physical activity include lack of time, limited social support, lack of motivation, fear of injury, high cost, and the lack of nearby facilities.

“Individuals must make the ultimate decision to engage in physical activity,” said Ussery, “but community-level barriers may exist that make that decision more difficult.”

New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released Jan 2020, shows differences in activity level across the nation.