Physical INactivity

Having just returned from a two week summer holiday the theme of inactivity, recently featured on the BBC Health page, is fresh on my mind!

We often hear about the importance of activity and the various health benefits it can have, there are adverts on the TV, leaflets posted through our doors advertising fitness groups and notices in school about what there is to get involved in.

A recent study published in the Lancet has taken the opposite approach investigating and reporting on the effects of inactivity! Here is the summary..

The study suggests that inactivity caused 9% of the deaths worldwide in 2008, equivalent to 5.3 million. Or roughly "one in 10 deaths from diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and breast and colon cancer."

It is recommended that adults do 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate exercise each week, such as brisk walking or gentle cycling, anything less than this being considered inactivity.

The Lancet study also found people in higher income countries were the least active with those in the UK among the worst, as nearly two-thirds of adults were judged not to be doing enough exercise. This could be related to the lesser percentage employed in manual labour and the increased income in some cases allowing for luxuries such as washing machines instead of manual chores.

Increased physical activity is a priority within public health as an increase will ultimately lead to improved health, reduced disease and fewer deaths. Achieving this is easier said than done, perhaps the first steps are being put into place, improving access and providing information are key! For example I have recently seen new "outdoor gyms" in local parks to encourage physical activity, access is easy, the environment is a safe one and most of all the facilities are free!