Nearly a third of adults (31%) do not practice not enough physical activities. This sedentary lifestyle is getting worse and is becoming a threat to health of nearly 2 billion people.
Of new datapresented on June 28 by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that in 2022, approximately 1.8 billion people did not practice physical activity meets recommended levels.
WHO recommends that adults spend each week 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity, or 75 minutes of sustained intensity activity.
Physical inactivity among adults increased by about 5 percentage points between 2010 and 2022. If the trend continuesthe level of inactivity is expected to increase further to reach 35% by 2030.
In addition, the WHO had already expressed concern in March that the world had never recorded so many cases of obesity, which also has an impact on preventable diseases.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer
Physical inactivity puts adults at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers such as breast cancer and colon cancer.
“These new findings highlight the lost opportunity to reduce cancer and heart disease, and improve well-being and mental health through increased physical activity,” said Dr.r Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.
“We must renew our commitment to increase physical activity levels and prioritize bold measures, including stronger policies and broader fundingto reverse this worrying trend.”
Women and those over 60 are the least active adults
The highest rates of physical inactivity were observed in the high-income Asia-Pacific region (48%) and South Asia (45%), with inactivity levels in other regions ranging from 28 % in high-income Western countries to 14% in Oceania.
It is worrying to note that disparities persist according to gender and age. Physical inactivity is always more common in women than among men globally, with inactivity rates of 34% compared to 29%. In some countries, this difference can be as much as 20 percentage points.
In addition, people over 60 are less active than younger adults, hence the importance of promoting physical activity among older adults.
Silent threat to global health
“Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases,” Dr.r Rüdiger Krech, Director of the Department of Health Promotion at WHO.
“We need to find innovative ways to motivate people to be more active, taking into account factors such as age, environment and cultural context. By making physical activity accessible, affordable and enjoyable for all, we can significantly reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and achieve a healthier and more productive population,” he added.
Despite the worrying results, there is some signs of improvement in some countries and 22 countries could achieve the global goal of reducing inactivity by 15% by 2030, if the trend observed there continues at the same pace.
“The promotion of physical activity goes tobeyond promoting individual lifestyle choice – it will require a global approach to all stakeholders in society and creating environments that make it easier and safer for everyone to engage in the activity they enjoy in order to benefit from the many health benefits of regular physical activity,” he said. Fiona Bull, Head of the Physical Activity Unit at WHO.
