There are countries that do not exercise as they should, and this map exposes the most sedentary

Change Life habits and putting in shape is one of the most common purposes when the year begins. So much that there are studies that have proposed to analyze How to meet that goal Without discouraging ourselves because, for many people, putting on form implies “from zero”. The reason is that many do not perform the physical activity necessary to remain in good shape, which implies a risk for both physical and mental health.

And on this map of Visual Capitalist We can see what are those countries in which people do not do the necessary exercise.

The recommendation. The World Health Organization recommends that adults dedicate 150 minutes a week, at least, aerobic physical intensity activities. This includes walking -which is increasingly uncovered as A highly recommended exercise-, but also swim, jog or ride a bike. And these 150 weekly minutes must be complemented with 75 minutes of activities such as peso lifting for Strengthen both muscles and joints.

WHO also says that any physical activity is better than any. The exercise not only keeps us healthier, but also contributes to a Best Mental Healtha better humor and a better resistance to diseases. The problem is that, as a study published in The Lancet Global Health It has demonstrated, much of the population does not move as much as it should.

The study. The article explores and collects the data related to the physical activity reported by adults in different population surveys. Through the analysis of 507 surveys in 163 countries with a total of 5.7 million participants, researchers have been able to estimate the prevalence of insufficient physical activity between 2000 and 2022.

The data. They are not good. According to their interpretations, in 2022, 31.3% of people worldwide performed insufficient physical activity, not reaching those minimal recommendations of WHO. In 2010, that figure was 26.4% and in 2000 it stood at 23.4%. We see, therefore, a bullish trend, but also a significant increase between the last decade and the previous one.

By countries. The map prepared by Visual Capitalist collects this data and reinterprets the maps published in the study itself. In some cases, these data are devastating. In much of the American continent, two thirds of the population do not meet those guidelines marked by WHO. There are exceptions like Mexico, but the population is also close to that inactivity figure.

In Europe, the situation is quite diverse. Spain has 22%of the population that performs insufficient physical activity, France 23%, Germany 12%, Austria 20%and Belgium 25%. However, there are cases such as Poland with 35% inactivity, Italy with a striking 40% and Portugal with 52%.

Dramas. They are striking data, but together, the worst part is taken by the Middle East and part of Asia. United Arab Emirates is the worst country in this regard, according to the analysis, with 66% of its population performing insufficient physical activity. Kuwait is not very far with 63% and Lebanon stays at 59%. It is a trend in the area, with Qatar and its 54% inactivity, or Iraq and Saudi Arabia with 52%.

Looking at Asia, South Korea is not much better, with 58% of the population that does not move what should, 52% of the Japanese are also more sedentary of the account and we see that India has an index of 49%. Japan’s case is curious, since it is a country that is proud of its longevity and of the exercise programs for the elderly.

More and less aligned countries with the objectives for 2030. The more azul, the better

Social inequalities. Speaking of age, it is something that also plays a role in these data. In this period of analysis, insufficient physical activity increased between those over 60, regardless of the sixth and the region to which they belong. But we also see many countries with light colors that represent that they are doing the recommended activity, but as we used to have meme in Xataka, it has a trick.

Some of them are in Europe as Finland (10%), Netherlands (9%) and Sweden (8%), among others, but the vast majority are in the Sub -Saharan Africa area. And it is not that they want to train than the rest of the world, but that it is a very active population due to economic reasons since a greater proportion of population in poorest countries is used in tasks such as agriculture or manual works, something that counts for movement statistics.

Because these social inequalities, in the end, are represented in a very varied arc of situations, and in the study itself we can see that the activity index barely varies between people with low income, but that when life is somewhat more accommodated, Sedentary lifestyle also increases.

And the conclusion of the study is that, in the end, almost a third of adults around the world do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity and it would be a good idea that policies were strengthened to foster that exercise.

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