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There was a 5% increase in physical inactivity in high income countries between 2001 and 2016.
A new report shows that around the world, about one in three women and nearly one in four men do not exercise enough to avoid common illnesses.
According to the World Health Organization, it is recommended to practice at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of intense physical activity each week. Studies show that people who do not comply with this directive are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers.
The trend of inadequate physical activity on a global scale is worsening, not better, reveals the new study published Tuesday in the journal Lancet Global Health. More than a quarter of adults – 1.4 billion people worldwide – were not sufficiently active in 2016, compared to 23.3% in 2010.
In fact, there has been no improvement in global fiscal levels since 2001, the report says, with high-income countries posting a 5% increase in inactivity levels between 2001 and 2016 .
"Levels of inactivity are more than twice as high in high-income countries as in low-income countries, with a growing trend in high-income countries," writes Regina Guthold, WHO's lead author. "Latin America and the Caribbean and Western high-income countries are the two regions with the highest levels of inactivity and rising trends in inactivity."
The sedentary lifestyle
The new study examined 358 surveys that collected data on nearly 2 million people reporting their activity level at work and at home. Participants included people aged 18 and over in 168 countries, an increase from the previous WHO study of 2010, which included only 146 countries.
The researchers made statistical adjustments to compare the latest estimates with those of all previous WHO studies. According to Guthold, the downward trend in physical activity found in the most recent study can only be explained by the inclusion of a larger number of countries in the analysis.
In 2016, physical activity varied by income group: only 16% of respondents in low-income countries reported insufficient physical activity, compared with 37% in high-income countries. Uganda and Mozambique had the best results in terms of exercises: only 6% of adults in each of these countries did not have enough physical activity in 2016.
The wealthiest countries have moved to sedentary occupations, recreation and motorized transport, which may explain higher levels of inactivity compared to low-income countries where work and transportation often require physical activity. Declines in physical activity are inevitable as countries thrive and the use of technology increases, they say.
However, while Western countries have experienced a slight decrease in physical activity, the opposite has occurred in the East and Southeast Asian countries, which have in 2001, they accounted for only 17% in 2016. The authors argue that this is largely influenced by China, with recreational activities in the most populous country in the region, perhaps thanks to.
A constant gender gap in physical activity was seen worldwide in 2016, with the exception of East and Southeast Asia.
More women than men report being insufficiently active, with a margin of 10% or more between the sexes in three regions: South Asia (43% of women inactive versus 24% of men), Central Asia, Middle East East and North Africa (40% vs. 26%) and Western high-income countries (42% vs. 31%).
Large differences between women and men existed in the United States (48% vs. 32%), the United Kingdom (40% vs. 32%), India (44% vs. 25%), and the Philippines (49%). 30%). ), South Africa (47% vs. 29%) and Turkey (39% vs. 22%).
Although the global problem of inactivity is clear, the solutions are less so.
"Small changes", not the gyms
Walter R. Thompson, associate dean and professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University, said the most important point of the study was that "physical inactivity is a pandemic and not a characteristic of low-income countries. income or high income ".
"It is prevalent in all countries and has the same impact on chronic diseases," said Thompson, who was not involved in the study.
"The WHO admits that current strategies are not working and that new tactics are needed to improve physical activity in all countries," added Thompson, who is also president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine. He noted that "public policies have not changed physical activity patterns".
In the United States, for example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created Healthy People 2000 and Healthy People 2010, targeted 10-year programs to improve the health of Americans. Both have focused on "physical activity and fitness," but "the prevalence of physical activity has changed little or not," he said. "Americans simply do not do enough exercise.
"We can not just tell people that they need to exercise more; it does not work, "said Thompson. "Our work clearly shows that we must demonstrate lifestyle changes that can be adopted by the majority of the population and avoid sending people to a gym. Small changes in behavior, such as parking your car in the back row instead of the front row at the grocery store or climbing stairs instead of the elevator, are just two examples. "
Guthold said countries and communities can tackle declining levels of exercise by "creating new opportunities and programs to support and encourage people to be more active". in other ways.
However, the changing physical characteristics of a community may not be enough: Gregory Knell, a researcher at the University of Texas Dallas School of Public Health, recently published a study to determine whether sidewalk improvement could lead to more physical activity. The results suggest that "sidewalk improvement is not enough to increase physical activity among inactive people, while among those who are already active, living near improved sidewalks is associated with an increase in recreational activities. and walking.
"There is not a quick fix for overcoming the epidemic of physical inactivity," said Knell, who has not participated in the new WHO study. "Our cities, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, entertainment venues, and transportation systems have all been designed to promote physical inactivity." Avoid exercise in all cases has become the option "more convenient and easier".
"We need to make physical activity a part of your everyday life, the simplest and most practical approach," Knell said.
Guthold said that totally inactive people can start with a little exercise and then increase their weekly exercise time. "Any activity is better than none, and more activities will provide greater health benefits," she said. "It's often easier to be active in groups, with family or friends."
Thompson concluded that the new WHO report "has global implications. We must all read it and learn from it.
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