500 Million People at risk of developing Lifestyle Diseases by 2030: WHO

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• Oct 27, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

According to a report released last week by the UN agency, the cost of staying on the couch will be high - approximately $27 billion in additional healthcare costs each year.

Digital Desk: The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that if
governments do not take immediate action to encourage more physical activity,
nearly 500 million people will be at risk of developing heart disease, obesity,
diabetes, or other noncommunicable diseases between 2020 and 2030. 

According to
a report released last week by the UN agency, the cost of staying on the couch
will be high - approximately $27 billion in additional healthcare costs each
year. The report is based on an analysis of steps taken by UN member countries
to increase physical activity among people of all ages.

"Data from 194
countries show that progress is slow overall and that countries must
accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase heart
rates, help prevent disease, and reduce the burden on already overburdened
health services," according to the global status report on physical
activity 2022.

It also presented some
global findings related to physical activity as a policy. According to the
report, less than half of countries have a national physical activity policy,
of which less than 40% are operational. It went on to say that only 30% of
countries have national physical activity guidelines for all ages.

"While almost all countries
report a system for monitoring adult exercise, only 75% of countries monitor
adolescent activity, and less than 30% monitor physical activity in children
under the age of five," according to the WHO report.

The report advocated for policies
that promote active and sustainable transportation.

According to WHO Director General
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, "More countries must step up policy
implementation to encourage people to be more active through walking, cycling,
sports, and other forms of physical activity. The benefits are enormous, not
only for individuals' physical and mental health, but also for societies,
environments, and economies."

The WHO has also proposed an action plan, which includes policies to
make roads safer in order to encourage more active transportation, as well as more
programmes and opportunities for physical activity in key settings such as
childcare, schools, primary health care, and the workplace.