Nearly 1.8 billion adults are at risk of diseases such as cancer, stroke, dementia and diabetes due to lack of exercise, and the situation is getting worse, according to a report.
The new study by World Health Organization (WHO) researchers and academics found that global physical inactivity increased by around five percentage points between 2010 and 2022. Overall, nearly a third of adults – 31 percent – worldwide do not get enough exercise, up from 23 percent (900 million people) in 2000 and 26 percent in 2010.
If current trends continue, experts predict that by 2030, about 35 percent of people will not be getting enough exercise.
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When it comes to gender differences, it appears that women are consistently less likely to exercise than men, with inactivity rates of 34 percent compared to 29 percent.
The new study, published in The Lancet Global Health journal, warned that the world is failing to meet the global target of reducing physical inactivity by 2030.
“These new findings highlight a missed opportunity to reduce cancer and heart disease and improve mental well-being through increased physical activity,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“We must renew our commitment to increasing physical activity levels and prioritize bold measures, including strengthened policies and increased funding, to reverse this worrying trend,” he said.
WHO recommends that adults do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week.
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Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health and contributes significantly to the burden of chronic diseases.
Dr Rudiger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at WHO
Examples of moderate activity include very brisk walking, vigorous cleaning such as washing windows or mopping, slow-speed bicycling, or playing badminton. Examples of vigorous activity include walking, jogging, shoveling, fast bicycling, playing a game of soccer, basketball, or tennis.
The WHO defines insufficient physical activity as not meeting these weekly exercise guidelines.
The new study, which included data and estimates from 163 countries and territories, found that people over 60 are less active than younger people.
And although high-income Western countries appear to be slowly reducing inactivity rates, down to 28 percent of the population in 2022, they are still far from there.
The World Health Assembly has set a global goal – which many hope will not be achieved – of reducing insufficient physical activity by 15% between 2010 and 2030.
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“Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health and contributes significantly to the burden of chronic diseases,” said Dr Rudiger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion.
“By making physical activity accessible, affordable and enjoyable for everyone, we can significantly reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and create a healthier, more productive population.”
Dr Panagiota Mitrou, director of research, policy and innovation at the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “This timely report is a wake-up call to the world that more needs to be done to encourage people to be more active. .
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It’s never too late to start getting in shape
Meanwhile, no one is too old to start exercising regularly and adopting other healthy habits, says a team of doctors and scientists from China and the United States. They found that health improvements in later life can increase a person’s chances of living to 100 or more.
The American Medical Association released an assessment of more than 5,000 elderly Chinese, most of them over 80 years old, including more than 1,500 who reached 100 years old.
The team cautioned that they could not adequately explain the effect of “socioeconomic status, such as household income and occupation,” which has been shown elsewhere to affect health and longevity.
2024-06-30 21:59:28
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