WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study shows nearly 1.8 billion adults are at risk of contracting various diseases from not doing enough physical activity.
The study, undertaken by researchers from the World Health Organization together with academic colleagues, says that nearly one third of adults worldwide did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022.
Physical inactivity puts adults at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers such as breast and colon, according to the results of the study, published in The Lancet Global Health journal.
If the trend continues, levels of inactivity are projected to further rise to 35 percent by 2030, and the world is currently off track from meeting the global target to reduce physical inactivity by 2030. WHO recommends that adults have 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or equivalent, per week.
The highest rates of physical inactivity were observed in the high-income Asia Pacific region (48 percent) and South Asia (45 percent), with levels of inactivity comparatively less in high-income Western countries and Oceania.
Physical inactivity is still more common among women globally compared with men.
'Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases,' said Dr Rudiger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at WHO.
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