Worldwide unsportsmanlikeness A quarter of people with physical inactivity

Lack of exercise leads to more and more diseases worldwide

Globally, people are less physically active. This harms their physical as well as their mental health, say experts from the World Health Organization WHO.

The scientists of the World Health Organization WHO have found in a study that more and more people are physically too inactive. This can lead to physical and mental damage. The physicians published the results of their research in the English-language journal "The Lancet Global Health".

Many people in the world do not move enough. Physical activity can protect against many diseases. (Image: Africa Studio / fotolia.com)

People have to move more

A quarter of the world's population is simply not physically active enough. Especially in affluent countries, people move far too little, which harms their physical and mental health. There is an urgent need to encourage more people to exercise, explain the researchers of the World Health Organization WHO. People around the world need to move more and be more physically active. Countries should, for example, reduce motorized traffic and promote cycling, say the experts.

Every third woman and every fourth man does not do enough sports

About 1.4 billion adults are not physically active enough to stay healthy, explain the authors of the study. Every third woman and every fourth man does not exercise enough or does not exercise enough. Many people often sit at their work throughout the day. Even later, these people often sit in front of the TV the whole evening. In addition, most people use their car to handle even short distances. The lack of exercise and sedentaryness leads to an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some types of cancer, say the doctors.

What is the minimum amount of movement recommended??

The minimum amount of exercise recommended by the WHO is 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of intense physical activity per week. Such activity may include, for example, cycling, gym training or physical work in the home and gardening.

How active are the people?

Inactivity or sedentary status is highest in adults in Kuwait (67 percent), American Samoa (53 percent), Saudi Arabia (53 percent) and Iraq (52 percent). But even in countries like the UK, inactivity is very high. There, 40 percent of women do not move around enough, as do 32 percent of men. In the US, 48 percent of women and 32 percent of men are not sufficiently active. Inactivity has worsened over the last 15 years in the more prosperous Western countries: from 31 percent in 2001 to 37 percent in 2016, the experts write.

The level of inadequate physical activity is increasing

On average, unlike other global health risks, the level of inadequate physical activity worldwide is not falling, and more than a quarter of all adults do not reach the recommended level of physical activity for good health, according to lead author Dr. Regina Guthold of the World Health Organization WHO.

More than 1.4 billion adults suffer from preventable diseases

In 2016, a quarter of the world's population moved too little, the researchers say. There is a risk that more than 1.4 billion adults will have inactivity-related illnesses. National policies must be implemented to promote non-motorized road transport such as walking and cycling, and to encourage participation in active leisure and sport activities. Such strategies are particularly important in countries with rapid urbanization, such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

Physical activity of women must be encouraged

The authors also call for more opportunities for safe and accessible leisure activities for women around the world in order to eliminate the significant gap between the sexes. What is needed are progressive multi-level interventions, especially for women, who create safe and culturally acceptable opportunities for physical activity and enable all people to engage in physical activity, the experts explain. (As)