About 1.8 billion adults globally failed to meet recommended levels of exercise in 2022 – Photo: NPR
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one-third of the global adult population, or about 1.8 billion people, did not achieve the recommended level of exercise in 2022.
Adults are getting less exercise
According to WHO standards, adults should have 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity or equivalent per week.
The high-income Asia-Pacific region, which includes South Korea, Japan and Singapore, has the highest rate of physical inactivity (48%). This is followed by the South Asia region (45%), which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“Asia has about 30% of the world’s population, but bears nearly 50% of the global disease burden. We have more diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease than anywhere else in the world,” said Abrar Mir, co-founder of Quadria Capital, an independent healthcare firm in Asia.
On average, women reported higher levels of physical inactivity (34%) than men (29%). The gap was most pronounced in South Asia, where physical inactivity rates were 14 percentage points higher among women than men, according to the report published in the journal The Lancet Global Health.
Physical activity levels are determined by a range of factors including personal motivation, time available, as well as social and environmental factors, such as the habits of those around them, or even the temperature and climate of the area, said Fiona Bull, head of the WHO’s physical activity department.
“Women have multiple roles. They still do the bulk of the caregiving for the family and home. This means they have less time, especially if they are also working,” Bull said.
“And of course, for some population groups, particularly women and older adults, the reasons may also be related to cultural and social values.”
According to Bull, children and teens can feel pressured to focus on schoolwork, leaving less time for exercise, and some of these habits can carry over into adulthood.
There is no single reason why some regions and groups of people are more physically active than others. The onus is on governments to create policies and commit resources to prioritise and promote the health and well-being of their people, Bull said.
The risks of being sedentary
People in general have become less active since 2000, with the global adult physical inactivity rate rising to 31.3% in 2022, compared with 26.4% recorded in 2010 and 23.4% in 2000, according to the study based on 507 surveys in 163 countries and territories.
This can be partly explained by the strong application of technology in recent decades.
“People are working more and more on electronic devices, computers, and are often sitting a lot when they’re emailing rather than having face-to-face conversations. As a result, we’re not moving around as much between meetings,” says Bull.
This lack of exercise puts people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, which are “the leading cause of premature death in the world today,” claiming more than 10 million lives each year, according to Bull.
Bull stressed that physical activity can also delay the onset of dementia – the leading cause of death in older adults, and as the global elderly population continues to grow, the number of people with dementia is expected to reach 78 million by 2030, the WHO said.
“Physical activity not only prevents a number of chronic diseases, but also promotes positive mental and physical health,” Bull says. Getting enough exercise is important for good health, from improving mood and cognition to boosting learning ability in children.
How to become more active?
“The key to being more active is doing things you enjoy,” Bull says. “I recommend people try new things,” she says. “Especially for people in their mid-life who are realizing they need to be more active, finding sports they enjoy can be very helpful in maintaining their health.”
For example, a game like pickleball may be more accessible than tennis and can be enjoyed by your whole family, she suggests.