Nearly 500 million people will suffer from non-communicable diseases due to physical inactivity by 2030 if governments do not take urgent action to encourage physical activity, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.
According to a WHO report published today, the annual cost of physical inactivity is estimated at around 27,000 million dollars (27,400 million euros) worldwide, due to the treatment of new cases of non-communicable diseases.
“Nearly 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases attributable to physical inactivity between 2020 and 2030, costing $27 billion a year, if governments don’t take urgent action to encourage more activity. physical activity in populations”, advances the Geneva-based organization.
The 2022 Physical Activity Report measures the extent to which governments in 194 countries are implementing recommendations to increase physical activity in all ages of their populations.
The WHO aims to achieve the global goal of reducing the prevalence of physical inactivity by 15% by 2030.
The results now published indicate that progress in this area “is slow”, adds the WHO, noting that most countries need to “accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase levels of physical activity”, as a way to prevent disease. and reduce the burden on already overburdened health systems.
The report warns that less than 50% of countries have a national physical activity policy and that only 30% have national physical activity guidelines for all age groups of the population.
“Although almost all countries report a system to monitor physical activity in adults, 75% of countries monitor physical activity among adolescents and less than 30% monitor physical activity in children under 5 years of age,” says the document.
The WHO also points out that, in active and sustainable transport policies, “only just over 40% of countries have road design standards that make walking and cycling safe”.
According to the organization, despite the increase in national policies to combat noncommunicable diseases and physical inactivity in recent years, currently 28% of these policies are not financed or implemented by the countries.
The report found that just over 50% of countries have developed a national communication campaign or organized mass participation physical activity events in the last two years, initiatives that have also been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
To help countries increase physical activity, the WHO Global Plan of Action on Physical Activity 2018-2030 (GAPPA) sets out 20 recommendations, including the creation of safe pathways to encourage active transportation, as well as the development of programs for physical activity in settings considered essential, such as nurseries, schools, primary health care and workplaces.
“We need more countries to step up policies that help people be more active through walking, cycling, sports and other physical activities. The benefits are enormous, not only for the physical and mental health of individuals, but also for societies. and economies,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed.
Source: TSF
