WHO study: Almost a third of all adults do not get enough exercise
More than 31 percent of all adults - and that's 1.8 billion people - did not reach the recommended amount of physical activity in 2022. "Physical inactivity is a silent danger for global health and significantly contributes to the burden of chronic diseases," said Rüdiger Krech, WHO Director for Health Promotion. "Unfortunately, the world is not moving in the right direction," he said at an online press conference.
To stay healthy, the WHO recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, such as walking, cycling, or even household chores - or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, like running or competitive sports. Combining both also helps reach the goal.
Those who fail to meet this recommendation, according to Krech, risk heart diseases, diabetes, some types of cancer, and mental health problems.
If the current trend continues, physical inactivity among adults could reach 35 percent by 2030, according to a study published in the journal "The Lancet Global Health." This would significantly miss the WHO's goal of reducing global physical inactivity by 15 percent by the end of the decade.
Fiona Bull, head of the WHO Department for Physical Activity, called the findings a "wake-up call" that "we're not doing enough." The extent of physical inactivity varies greatly by country: For example, 66 percent of adults in the United Arab Emirates do not get enough physical activity, while the number in Malawi is under three percent.
Bull identified "numerous causes" for the overall decline in physical activity. People walk less, work more at computers, and spend more leisure time looking at screens.
With the Football European Championship and the Olympics coming up this summer, Krech reminded everyone that "watching sports on TV is not the same as being physically active yourself." "Don't just sit on the chair, stand up and do something - every step counts," he said.
According to the WHO, individual habit changes are not enough. They called on countries to encourage population engagement in physical activity - for example, by promoting sports clubs, walking, cycling, and public transportation.
The study is considered the most comprehensive overview of the topic to date. For this purpose, an international research team compiled the results of over 500 studies involving over 5.7 million people in 163 countries.
However, there were not only bad news: Almost half of the countries made progress in the past decade, and 22 countries could reach the 2030 target if they continue to move in the right direction.
- Rüdiger Krech, the WHO Director for Health Promotion, stated that physical inactivity among adults is a "silent danger for global health" and significantly contributes to the burden of chronic diseases.
- The WHO study, published in the journal "The Lancet Global Health," predicts that if the current trend continues, physical inactivity among adults could reach 35 percent by 2030.
- Fiona Bull, head of the WHO Department for Physical Activity, called the findings a "wake-up call" and emphasized that "we're not doing enough" to reduce physical inactivity.
- According to the WHO, individual habit changes are not enough, and they called on countries to encourage population engagement in physical activity such as promoting sports clubs, walking, cycling, and public transportation.
