According to the World Health Organisation or WHO, more than 1.4 billion adults are at exacerbated risk of affliction by deadly diseases through lack of exercise and living sedentary lifestyles. This is among the findings of a study by WHO with results revealed in Paris very recently. The study tracked the activity levels of 1.9 million people in 168 countries during 2016.
1.4 billion adults make up a huge proportion of the world’s adult population and this should be petrifying. Thankfully and amid this pall of disconcertion, South-East Asia has come out encouragingly. Women have been found to be equally as active as men and it’s the only region of the world where inactivity has actually decreased since the turn of this century. Global activity levels have remained virtually unchanged in almost two decades.
Disconcertingly, researchers discovered that there had been no improvement in physical activity levels since 2001. There is also a stark divide in exercise quantum between poor and rich nations as well as men and women. Data revealed that 1.4 billion or 25% of the world’s adults were insufficiently active.
A third of women and a quarter of men worldwide are susceptible to life-threatening health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It has shown that levels of dementia and cardiovascular diseases are more than twice as high in high-income countries than developing nations. The easily attained prevention is to increase their activity levels.
Naturally, richer nations would enjoy higher comfort levels which unwittingly also urges on sedentary lifestyle. The recommendation by WHO is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Brisk walking, swimming and gentle cycling heads the list of exercises. Alternatively, it can also be 75 minutes a week for vigorous-intensity activity which includes running and team sports.
“Insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and has a negative effect on mental health and quality of life”, was cited by The Lancet Global Health Journal. “We definitely haven’t done enough to encourage people to exercise. We have seen basically no progress.” says Regina Guthold of WHO and lead study author.
When countries urbanise previous rural lifestyle with a lot of physical activity has become sedentary and technology apart from making our life more convenient is also making us less active. Urbanisation contributes to poorer health with more time indoors, longer office hours, easier accessibility to high-calorie foods and lower exercise levels being some of the culprits. Physical activities have been reduced such as desk-based jobs replacing physical labour jobs, lifts replacing stairs, cars replacing active travel and slew of other instances.
Four countries, namely Kuwait, American Samoa, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were discovered to have more than half of adults classified as insufficiently active. Kuwait has two-thirds or 67% of adults lacking in exercise. The study also found that women are still behind men in almost every region of the world. This is highest in Bangladesh, Eritrea, India, Iraq and the Philippines.
Some reasons why people in countries were more active than others include biological, psychosocial, institutional, cultural and environmental barriers.
Having a healthy life is attainable and the media to engage is no secret. It’s all in your commitment to exercise. Ailments are not only confined to being potentially fatal but pose as a strain to your finances and mar your productivity. Moreover, being sickly takes away the joys of living.
