WHO warns of an increase in chronic diseases by 2030 if people do not start exercising

A new report from the World Health Organization has found that our collective lack of exercise will exact a heavy toll in the coming years if nothing changes. The report estimates that to be about half-Billions of new cases of non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes by 2030 due to physical inactivity. It also found that many countries are doing little to help people stay active, such as creating safe walkable roads.

The result From WHO’s first GLocal status reports on physical activity. It analyzes data from 194 countries on how often people are physically active and the policies countries develop to promote physical activity. As part of the report, the authors also calculated the potential impacts on the health care system if people’s exercise levels remained the same through 2030. These latter hypotheses will be published in a forthcoming paper. But it will be seen in a Preprint From last week’s Lancet.

oftenMultiple factors contribute to a person’s heart disease or other noncommunicable disorders (NCDs), and only some of these risk factors can be prevented or changed for the better. But there has been a lot of research to show Any amount of exercise, no matter a person it Age can help people stay healthy. Based on other studies, the authors attempted to calculate the fraction of preventable NCDs Strongly tied to lack of physical activity will emerge over the next decade, focusing specifically on seven major conditions: heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancers, dementia and depression.

Overall, the authors estimate that about 500 million new cases of the condition will occur between 2020 and beyond 2030 worldwide. Even in this case, direct medical costs will increase by about $300 billion (USD) over that period and about $27 billion annually by 2030. Most of these cases (about 74%) will occur in lower-middle-income countries, but the economic cost will be greater in high-income countries (about 64%).

“This study calls for urgent action by countries to prioritize investment in interventions that reduce this modifiable risk factor,” the authors wrote.

So far, however, it appears that most countries are falling far short of these investments. A WHO report found that fewer than half of countries even have national physical activity policies. Only 30% of countries stated national physical activity guidelines for all ages. And while most countries have some way of tracking how active adults are, less than 30% do the same for children under 5. Many implementations of these policies, such as nationally organized running or walking events, have been further disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Author notes.

There are many reasons why people may not be as physically active, and many of them Outside of people’s control, such as their work patterns and working hours. But the report also highlights steps that governments are failing to take To encourage a more active lifestyle residents. For example, only 40% of countries have standards for designing roads that are walkable and accessible riding a bike safe

“We need more countries to implement policies to help people become more active through walking, cycling, sports and other physical activities. The benefits are enormous, not only for the individual’s physical and mental health, but also for society, the environment and the economy,” Tedros said. Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO Director-General, A statement Announcing the report. “We hope countries and partners will use this report to build more active, healthy and beautiful societies for all.”

Some of the recommendations given by the WHO to encourage physical activity include more public open spaces, walkable roads and other infrastructure, and more sports or gym activities in schools. There is a need for better data collection, as little is known about people’s access to parks and other ways to help people be more active.