In less than a decade, the lack of physical activity will cause an increase in the number of chronic patients, such as cancer, diabetes or hypertension, as well as depression, whose treatment will multiply the costs of health systems, according to a study by the international organization
Almost 500 million people develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes, or other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to physical inactivity between 2020 and 2030with a cost of 27,000 million dollars per year (27,470 million euros), that is, nearly $300 billion by 2030 (305,190 million euros), according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
So I warned this Wednesday WHO in the Report on global status of physical activity 2022which measures the degree of application by governments of the recommendations to increase physical activity in all ages and abilities.
Data from 194 countries show that, overall, progress is “slow” and that “must accelerate the development and the implementation of policies to increase physical activity levels and thereby prevent disease and reduce the burden on already overburdened health care systems.”
Los study authors They also predict 11.2 million more people affected by type 2 diabetes, 12.5 million more patients with coronary heart disease, and an increase in dementia in 15.2 million more patients.
“Although the situation improves, boys and men are more often involved in sports and outdoor activities, while women have it harder to stay physically active,” said WHO specialist Juana Willumsen.
Encourage exercise as a habit that prevents diseases
According to the data contained in the report, less than 50% of countries have a national physical activity policy, of which less than 40% are operational. Furthermore, only 30% of countries have national physical activity guidelines for all age groups.
While almost all countries report the existence of a monitoring system for physical activity in adults, 75% of countries track physical activity among adolescents, and less than 30% observe children under 5 years of age.
As for policies that might encourage active and sustainable transport, the WHO regrets that only slightly more than 40% of countries have road design standards that make traveling on foot and by bicycle safer.
“We need more countries to expand the implementation of policies that support people to be more active walking, cycling, playing sports and doing other physical activities. The benefits are enormous, not only for people’s physical and mental health, but also for societies, environments and economies… We hope that countries and partners will use this report to build more active, healthier and better societies. fairer for all,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Although national policies to address NCDs and physical inactivity have increased in recent years, currently 28% of policies are not financed or are not applied, as reported by the WHO.
The report shows that only slightly more than 50% of the countries have carried out a national communication campaign or have organized physical activity events with mass participation in the last two years.
Lack of policies in all fields
Another of the report’s most important findings is the existence of “major gaps” in global data for tracking the progress of important policy measures, such as the provision of public open space, the provision of walking and cycling infrastructure, and the provision of sport and physical education in schools. The report also calls for the deficiencies of some existing data to be remedied.
“Nos globally approved indicators are missing to measure access to parks, bike lanes, and pedestrian pathways, although we know the data exists in some countries. Consequently, we are unable to report or track the global provision of infrastructure that facilitates increased physical activity. It can be a vicious circle lack of indicators and data leads to lack of monitoring and responsibility, and then, all too often, to lack of policy and investment. What gets measured gets done, and we still have a long way to go to comprehensively and robustly monitor national action on physical activity,” said Fiona Bull, head of the WHO Physical Activity Unit.
Cultural barriers also weigh, making the Middle East one of the regions where the gap between the sexes is greatest, although it is also large in Latin America, where 34% of men do not perform the recommended physical activity while the percentage in women rises to 43.7%.
At the press conference, it was quoted Finland as a model country in exercise promotion policy: “In it, the coordination, monitoring, financial resources and implementation programs in schools and health networks are really showing results,” said Bull.
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