Lack of physical activity – along with unhealthy diets – are key risk factors for major non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Thirty to 70% of EU citizens are currently overweight, while 10-30% are considered obese,according to the WHO, which warned against an obesity crisis in Europe over the coming decades.
To counter the “epidemic”, the WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. This, it argues, would reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease by approximately 30%, the risk of diabetes by 27%, and the risk of breast and colon cancer by 21–25%.
Lack of physical activity – along with unhealthy diets – are key risk factors for major non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Thirty to 70% of EU citizens are currently overweight, while 10-30% are considered obese,according to the WHO, which warned against an obesity crisis in Europe over the coming decades.
To counter the “epidemic”, the WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. This, it argues, would reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease by approximately 30%, the risk of diabetes by 27%, and the risk of breast and colon cancer by 21–25%.
However, Europeans are much less active than that.
A Eurobarometer survey published last year looked at how much EU citizens engage in physical activity and sport, following up on comparable surveys carried out in 2002 and 2009.
The 2014 survey found that the number of people reporting that they never exercise or play sport increased by three percentage points from the 2009 survey (from 39% to 42%).
Though 48% engage in other physical activities, for recreational or non-sport-related reasons, such as cycling from one place to another, gardening or dancing at least once a week, 30% said they never engage in this kind of activity at all.
About two-thirds of respondents said they sit between 2.5 and 8.5 hours on average each day, an increase of five percentage points compared with 2002. 11% meanwhile, said they sit for more than 8.5 hours each day.
Family bicycling image via Shutterstock.
Read more at EurActiv.
