The current state of physical activity is one of the most worrying. Despite all the disturbing statistics and studies about exercise that are flooding medical journals, people continue to live their lives as they are. This is a trend that has grown since the second half of the 20th century. However, it is now a modern-day disease. It is a condition that threatens the health and well-being of modern-age people.
These facts are a summary of some of the most disturbing stats about physical activity among US residents.
Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years
- should do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity, across the week.
- should incorporate vigorous-intensity aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 days a week.
- should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary, particularly the amount of recreational screen time.
Adults aged 18–64 years
- should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
- or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
- should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits.
- may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.
- should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits, and
- to help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behaviour on health, all adults and older adults should aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity
Adults aged 65 years and above
- Same as for adults; and
- as part of their weekly physical activity, older adults should do varied multicomponent physical activity that emphasizes functional balance and strength training at moderate or greater intensity, on 3 or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and to prevent falls.
Pregnant and postpartum women
All pregnant and postpartum women without contraindication should:
- do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week
- incorporate a variety of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities
- should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits.
People living with chronic conditions (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, HIV and cancer survivors)
- should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
- or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
- should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits.
- as part of their weekly physical activity, older adults should do varied multicomponent physical activity that emphasizes functional balance and strength training at moderate or greater intensity, on 3 or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and to prevent falls.
- may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.
- should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits, and
- to help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behaviour on health, all adults and older adults should aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity.
Children and adolescents living with disability:
- should do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity, across the week.
- should incorporate vigorous-intensity aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 days a week.
- should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary, particularly the amount of recreational screen time.
Adults living with disability:
- should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
- or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
- should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits.
- As part of their weekly physical activity, older adults should do varied multicomponent physical activity that emphasizes functional balance and strength training at moderate or greater intensity, on 3 or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and to prevent falls.
- may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.
- should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits, and
- to help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behaviour on health, all adults and older adults should aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity.
- It is possible to avoid sedentary behaviour and be physically active while sitting or lying. E.g. Upper body led activities, inclusive and/or wheelchair-specific sport and activities.
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Benefits and risks of physical activity and sedentary behavior
Regular physical activity, such as walking, cycling, wheeling, doing sports or active recreation, provides significant benefits for health. Some physical activity is better than doing none. People can easily achieve the recommended activity levels by becoming more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways.
Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for noncommunicable disease mortality. People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active.
Regular physical activity can:
- improve muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness;
- improve bone and functional health;
- reduce the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, various types of cancer (including breast cancer and colon cancer), and depression;
- reduce the risk of falls as well as hip or vertebral fractures; and
- help maintain healthy body weight.
In children and adolescents, physical activity improves:
- physical fitness (cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness)
- cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, glucose, and insulin resistance)
- bone health
- cognitive outcomes (academic performance, executive function)
- mental health (reduced symptoms of depression)
- reduced adiposity
In adults and older adults, higher levels of physical activity improves:
- risk of all-cause mortality
- risk of cardiovascular disease mortality
- incident hypertension
- incident site-specific cancers (bladder, breast, colon, endometrial, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, gastric and renal cancers)
- incident type-2 diabetes
- prevents of falls
- mental health (reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression)
- cognitive health
- sleep
- measures of adiposity may also improve
For pregnant and post-partum women
Physical activity confers the following maternal and fetal health benefits: a decreased risk of:
- pre-eclampsia,
- gestational hypertension,
- gestational diabetes (for example 30% reduction in risk)
- excessive gestational weight gain,
- delivery complications
- postpartum depression
- newborn complications,
- and physical activity has no adverse effects on birthweight or increased risk of stillbirth.
Health risks of sedentary behaviour
Lives are becoming increasingly sedentary, through the use of motorized transport and the increased use of screens for work, education and recreation. Evidence shows higher amounts of sedentary behavior are associated with the following poor health outcomes:
In children and adolescents:
- increased adiposity (weight gain)
- poorer cardiometabolic health, fitness, behavioral conduct/pro-social behavior
- reduced sleep duration
In adults:
- all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality and cancer mortality
- incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and type-2 diabetes.
Levels of physical activity globally
- More than a quarter of the world’s adult population (1.4 billion adults) are insufficiently active
- Worldwide, around 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men do not do enough physical activity to stay healthy.
- Levels of inactivity are twice as high in high-income countries compared to low-income countries,
- There has been no improvement in global levels of physical activity since 2001
- Insufficient activity increased by 5% (from 31.6% to 36.8%) in high-income countries between 2001 and 2016.
Increased levels of physical inactivity have negative impacts on health systems, the environment, economic development, community well-being and quality of life.
Globally, 28% of adults aged 18 and over were not active enough in 2016 (men 23% and women 32%). This means they do not meet the global recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week.
In high-income countries, 26% of men and 35% of women were insufficiently physically active, as compared to 12% of men and 24% of women in low-income countries. Low or decreasing physical activity levels often correspond with a high or rising gross national product.
The drop in physical activity is partly due to inaction during leisure time and sedentary behavior on the job and at home. Likewise, an increase in the use of “passive” modes of transportation also contributes to insufficient physical activity.
Globally, 81% of adolescents aged 11-17 years were insufficiently physically active in 2016. Adolescent girls were less active than adolescent boys, with 85% vs. 78% not meeting recommendations of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per day.
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How to increase physical activity?
Countries and communities must take action to provide everyone with more opportunities to be active, in order to increase physical activity. This requires a collective effort, both national and local, across different sectors and disciplines to implement policy and solutions appropriate to a country’s cultural and social environment to promote, enable and encourage physical activity.
Policies to increase physical activity aim to ensure that:
- walking, cycling and other forms of active non-motorized forms of transport are accessible and safe for all;
- labor and workplace policies encourage active commuting and opportunities for being physically active during the workday;
- childcare, schools and higher education institutions provide supportive and safe spaces and facilities for all students to spend their free time actively;
- primary and secondary schools provide quality physical education that supports children to develop behavior patterns that will keep them physically active throughout their lives;
- community-based and school-sport programs provide appropriate opportunities for all ages and abilities;
- sports and recreation facilities provide opportunities for everyone to access and participate in a variety of different sports, dance, exercise and active recreation; and
- health care providers advise and support patients to be regularly active.