WHO warns physical inactivity due to confinement could create another pandemic – telam

“Being physically active is vital for health and well-being,” said the director of WHO.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday against the lack of physical exercise of the population, made worse by confinement during the pandemic, and stressed that if people do not stay active, there is has a risk of “creating another pandemic”. .

In this sense, he explained that about five million deaths could be avoided each year if the population were more active, according to the AFP agency.

WHO has warned of the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on regular exercise.

Even in the absence of statistics, it is clear that the containment measures have forced many people to stop physical activity.

“And if we don’t stay active, we run the risk of creating another pandemic,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Being physically active is vital for health and well-being, it can take years of life and years to live,” the WHO director-general said in a statement.

Frequent physical activity is the key to the prevention and treatment of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

It also reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, cognitive decline, improves memory and overall brain health.

To achieve these benefits, the WHO recommends that adults do between two and a half to five hours per week of moderate aerobic exercise, while the average for children and adolescents should be at least one hour per day.

WHO has noted that an active life has benefits for everyone, beyond their physical capabilities. “Every step counts,” Ghebreyesus said.