Up to 5 million deaths a year could have been avoided if we had all moved more. However, many live in areas where there is no access to places where they can safely walk, run, ride a bike or engage in physical activity. And where this is possible, it may not be easy for the elderly or people with disabilities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) concludes with this finding as its statistics show that one in four adults and four in five adolescents do not exercise or have the necessary physical activity. Women are less active than men worldwide (32% of men versus 23% of women). Also less active are the citizens of rich countries, where 37% of their population is not active enough, compared to 26% for middle-income countries and 16% for low-income countries.
WHO guidelines recommend that everyone be regularly active for mental and physical health reasons. Adults should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity per week and children and adolescents 60 minutes per day on average.
The WHO has set a goal of increasing physical activity by 15% by 2030 and in this context, encourages countries to implement actions included in its Global Action Plan for Physical Activity 2018-2030 to achieve this goal.
On the occasion of the data, the WHO today called on state officials in the fields of health, sports, education and transport to urgently implement programs for a safe environment that will promote physical activity. A report by the Agency entitled "Fair Play: Creating a Strong Physical Activity System for More Active People" includes suggestions.
WHO Deputy Director-General Dr. Susanna Jacob stressed that "there is an urgent need to provide opportunities for people to live an active and healthy life. But today, the potential for physical activity is unequal and unjust and has worsened with the pandemic. That is why the WHO is stepping up its efforts with its partners around the world to address the key obstacles that make it difficult for people to become more active and lead a healthier lifestyle. "
The summary of Fair Play highlights the main challenges and opportunities for countries to adopt activity and sports programs for all ages and abilities of the population.
Dr. Fiona Bull, Head of the Physical Activity Unit, said the report provides clear messages on what we need to do to create a more active society. The WHO calls on industry, civil society and government, as well as UN agencies, to create a common vision for building more active communities through sport, walking, cycling and gaming.
There are three main actions that help increase participation in activity programs:
According to the UN and the efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, in order for the world community to be effective, it must face key obstacles such as:
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