Half of Indians physically unfit, says Lancet study

• According to new data published in the Lancet Global Health half the adult Indian population does not meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines on sufficient physical activity.

Highlights:

• Most alarmingly, the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among Indian adults has risen sharply from 22.3 per cent in 2000 to 49.4 per cent in 2022.
  • More women than men are physically inactive.
• This means unchecked, 60 percent of our population would be unfit by 2030 and at risk of disease from not doing enough physical activity.

WHO Recommendations

• WHO recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week for all adults.
• Insufficient physical activity is defined as not doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination per week.
• According to the WHO, physical inactivity puts adults at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, Type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers of the breast and colon.

Key Findings of Study

• Estimates indicate that India has the 12th highest prevalence of insufficient physical activity among 195 countries.
• Worldwide, nearly one third of adults did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022.
• The highest rates of physical inactivity were observed in the high-income Asia-Pacific region and South Asia
• Physical inactivity is increasing globally because of many factors, including changes in work patterns , changes in the environment, making active transport more difficult and changes in leisure time activities

Physical Inactivity in India

• The status sheet is of particular concern in India as people here are genetically more prone to developing non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes at least a decade earlier than others.
• Several studies in India had shown low levels of physical activity at the population level, particularly women, who wrongly believe that household chores are a good form of physical exercise.
• Inactivity is most evident in middle aged urban women, even though it is manifest to some degree across all age and gender groups.
• Insufficient physical activity among women in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan is a worry as they lag behind men by over 14-20 percentage points.

Suggestive Measures

• While Fit India and Let’s Move India have been launched in recent years, we need settings-based group activity promotion efforts at school, worksite and community settings.
• Protected cycling lanes, safe pedestrian pathways, green community spaces and reduced air pollution will enable safe and pleasurable outdoor activity