A recent study has revealed that 31% of adults around the world did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022. This is a 5 percentage point increase since 2010 and a worrying trend towards physical inactivity.
The study was conducted by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and published in The Lancet Global Health journal. It looked at data from almost half of the countries in the world and found that the highest rates of physical inactivity were observed in the high-income Asia Pacific region (48%) and South Asia (45%). In other regions, the levels of inactivity ranged from 28% in high-income Western countries to 14% in Oceania.
The gender gap in physical activity was also highlighted, with women being more likely to be inactive than men. In some countries, this difference was as much as 20 percentage points. In addition, people over 60 years of age were also found to be less active than other adults.
The WHO is calling on countries to take urgent action to address this issue and implement policies to promote physical activity. This includes increasing funding for grassroots and community sport and active recreation, as well as making physical activity more accessible and affordable for all.
It is hoped that these measures will help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and create a population that is healthier and more productive.