WHO: A quarter of adolescents worldwide do not engage in physical activity
The World Health Organization reveals that a quarter of adolescents do not engage in physical activity, increasing the risk of chronic diseases.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday that a quarter of adolescents worldwide engage in little to no physical activity, warning that this significantly increases health risks.
New global estimates from the organization indicate that one in four adolescents aged 11 to 17 reported no physical activity, defined as at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during the previous week.
The WHO explained that the study, whose results were published in The Lancet Global Health, is based on hundreds of population surveys conducted in 140 countries and territories, covering more than 3.2 million adolescents.
The UN health agency noted that when these findings are extrapolated, approximately 240 million young people do not engage in any physical activity during the week.
Estimates showed that the adolescents surveyed were physically active, on average, for 2.7 days per week, while only 14 percent reported being physically active all seven days of the week.
The WHO warned that “physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.”
In a statement, the organization said, “Helping young people develop active habits early in life is crucial to protecting their health and reducing the global burden of these diseases.”
The WHO expressed regret over the lack of tangible progress, noting that physical activity levels among adolescents have remained “largely unchanged” over the past 15 years, and urged communities to intensify their efforts.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, said in the statement, “Over the past 15 years, the world has made little progress in encouraging young people to be physically active, with girls being the most affected and showing the greatest decline in this regard.”
The organization also highlighted a persistent gender gap in physical activity among adolescents, revealing that girls are significantly less active than boys in almost every country and region.
