Taxi! Americans Don't Walk Much

A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise finds that Americans only take an average of 5,117 steps per day.  This figure is low in comparison to Australians, who average 9,695 steps a day, the Swiss, who average 9,650, and the Japanese, who tally around 7,168.

The data taken from 1,136 American adults by researchers at the University of Tennessee, shows that men, on average, take more steps daily than women.

"The health benefits of walking are underappreciated. Even modest amounts of walking, if performed on a daily basis, can help to maintain a healthy body weight," lead author Dr. David R. Bassett, Jr., of the University of Tennessee Obesity Research Center in Knoxville, said in an American College of Sports Medicine news release.

The study's findings give insight as to why there are more obese people in the U.S. than in other developed countries, the researched noted.  In the U.S., 34 percent of the adult population is obese, compared with 16 percent in Australia, eight percent in Switzerland and three percent in Japan.