Sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise are linked to a higher risk of disease and are the cause of five million deaths a year worldwide, warns the scientific journal The Lancet. In the week that the Olympic Games begin in Tokyo, The Lancet publishes a series of studies and essays on the importance of physical activity and the public health risks of sedentary lifestyles, aggravated by the covid-19 pandemic that has led to the confinement of millions of people.
The studies' authors call for "immediate and urgent action" from policy makers to prioritise research and the implementation of public health measures to improve the population's physical activity levels. The journal argues that a lack of regular exercise is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some types of cancer and that the associated costs are around $54 billion a year, more than half of which is paid for by the public purse.
Young people: 80% don't get an hour's exercise
The authors of the various trials line up some data: 80% of teenage students do not meet the World Health Organization's recommendations of 60 minutes of daily physical activity, 25% are sitting for more than three hours a day and 40% never walk to school.
Source: Público (https://www.publico.pt/2021/07/22/ciencia/noticia/sedentarismo-inactividade-fisica-causam-cinco-milhoes-mortes-ano-1971346?fbclid=IwAR0w40beT78Sm-CWARhvryoXMDqwpLKIDo04jWs8C3WtOzquKE9FjWzxtmg)