Physical inactivity a ‘silent threat’ as countries, including Canada, stray from track – National

A growing number of people in Canada and around the world are physically inactive, the World Health Organization said in a new study, calling it a “silent threat” that requires greater attention.

Data published in The Lancet Global Health The paper showed on Tuesday that more than a third (31.3%) of the global adult population – or around 1.8 billion people – were not reaching WHO-recommended levels of physical activity in 2022.

This represents an increase of almost four percentage points from 2016, when 27.5 percent of the world’s population was not sufficiently physically active.

For adults, the WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of activities, each week.

In Canada, 37.2 percent of adults were physically inactive in 2022, according to the WHO study, compared to 31.1 percent in 2010 and 25.6 percent in 2000. If these trends continue, By 2030, the prevalence of physical inactivity in Canada could reach 41.4 percent, estimates the WHO.

“Unfortunately, the world is not moving in the right direction,” Ruediger Krech, director of health promotion at WHO, said during a virtual press conference.

“Physical inactivity poses a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes or respiratory diseases,” he said.

The WHO study examined levels of insufficient physical activity in 197 countries and territories between 2000 and 2022. It included 507 surveys conducted in 163 countries and territories.

The study concludes that about half of countries, including Canada, are experiencing an increasing trend in physical inactivity, while the other half have made progress over the past decade.

Fiona Bull, head of the WHO’s physical activity unit, said 22 countries, mainly in Europe and the Western Pacific region, are on track to meet the agency’s global target. ‘a relative reduction of 15 percent in levels of physical inactivity by 2023.

But, overall, the world is far from reaching that goal, she said.

“This is a wake-up call: we are not doing enough in almost half of the countries and even in countries where the trend is promising, there is no room for complacency,” he said. she declared during Tuesday’s press conference.

Scott Lear, a health sciences professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, said what’s “distressing” about the Canadian data is that there are likely more people who are physically inactive because people tend to overestimate their activity level when they self-report their activities. .

“That 37 percent could be closer to 45 percent, which means almost half of the population is physically inactive,” he said in an interview with Global News.

On average, women continue to be less active than men around the world, with a difference of five percentage points, the data shows.

High-income countries had a greater prevalence of physical inactivity than low-income countries, but the highest levels of inactivity were in the lower-middle income category.

According to experts, several factors explain why physical inactivity is increasing globally.

Changing modes of transportation, as roads become dangerous, mean fewer people are walking and biking, Bull said.

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Work patterns have shifted toward more sedentary work and rely more on technology, she added.

Bull also pointed to a shift in leisure activities, more screen-based and more sedentary.

“All of these trends, combined with the changing environments we live in, where car use is increasing, pollution and the creation of urban environments that are not encouraged to be active, add up to create conditions that do not do not allow physical activity,” she said. told reporters.

Although the WHO analysis did not take into account the impact of activity levels of people with COVID-19, Lear said pandemic restrictions likely also played a role in these trends.

Price is also a barrier to physical activity, experts say, as gyms, organized sports and clubs become more expensive.

Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and death worldwide, according to WHO.

Therefore, increasing your physical activity can minimize these risks, experts say.

“Physical activity must be accessible, affordable and enjoyable for all so we can significantly reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and mental health problems,” Krech said.

WHO calls on countries to strengthen the implementation of policies to promote and enable physical activity through community sports, active leisure and transport, walking and cycling, and the use of transport in common.

Bull emphasized the need for open public spaces where people live, work and play.

She explained that physical activity can be practiced either through formal, competitive traditional sports or informal, unstructured sports, such as yoga, walking and cycling,

Although the recommendation is 150 minutes of moderate intensity per week, Lear said you can start feeling the benefits from the first minute of physical activity.

He advised setting daily reminders for “an exercise snack,” where you walk for a few minutes, do push-ups, squats or jumping jacks.

If you don’t feel like going to the gym, Lear said activities like raking leaves in the fall, mowing the grass with a push mower in the summer or even grocery shopping are also considered. such as moderate activities.

“The best activity or exercise for a person is one that they enjoy doing,” he said.