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According to a study published Wednesday in The Lancet Global Health, it is highly likely that you, and many people from other countries, do not have the amount of exercises recommended.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends practicing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of intensity each week in order to stay healthy. This largest and most comprehensive study is the first to study global trends in physical inactivity over time. It examined information on 1.9 million people from 358 population-based surveys in 168 different countries – representing about 96% of the world's population – and the results were staggering.
"Countries will need to improve policy implementation to increase opportunities for physical activity and encourage more people to be active," said lead Fiona Bull, in a press release.
The five greatest conclusions of the study
PHOTO STOCK / Getty Images1. More than 25% of all adults in the world – about 1.4 billion people – do not do enough physical activity
This meets the official criteria of a "pandemic", and this degree of global physical inactivity is likely to be a major factor in increasing rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes , dementia and many cancers. Countries with the highest inactivity rates were Kuwait, American Samoa, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq – where more than half of adults were under-active in 2016. In the United States, United States, about 40% of adults were insufficiently active. 36% in the United Kingdom and only 14% in China.
2. Inactivity in high-income countries is more than double that of low-income countries
The average lack of activity in low-income countries was 16%, compared with 37% in high-income countries. Countries with the most favorable levels of activity were Uganda and Mozambique; in only 6% of adults did not adhere to the physical activity guidelines. This is probably due to the fact that high-income countries have more sedentary jobs and recreational activities, as well as transportation that does not require exercise.
PHOTO STOCK / Getty Images3. Overall, physical activity did not improve from 2001 to 2016
In fact, Western high-income countries have deteriorated – from 31% inactive in 2001 to 37% in 2016. These changes were mainly attributable to the United States, Germany and New Zealand. East and Southeast Asia is the region where the improvement in activity is most pronounced, rising from 26% to 17%, due to increased physical activity in China, the country the more populated area.
4. Women are less active than men in most parts of the world
This was true in 159 of the 168 countries studied, with a difference greater than 10 percentage points in 65 countries and more than 20 percentage points in nine countries. This could be due to cultural norms that sometimes differentiate types of activities by gender. To bridge the gender gap, we need to find ways to increase opportunities for women to engage in safer recreation.
PHOTO STOCK / Getty Images5. WHO's global goal of reducing physical inactivity by 10 per cent by 2025 is not on track.
Most countries have policies to tackle the problem of physical inactivity, but very few have shown an impact. The authors of the study encourage governments to provide roads and roads that promote walking and cycling for transportation and safe spaces for active sports and recreation.
Dr. Nicky Mehtani is a medical specialist in internal medicine and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
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