Physical Activity Saves Lives

1 min

Investigators at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh gathered data from 168 countries to determine the proportion of the population meeting the World Health Organization’s recommendation for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week. They found that worldwide the number of premature deaths was 15 percent lower than it would have been absent the exercise – down 14 percent for women and 16 percent for men. The investigators reported that the proportion of the population getting the recommended amount of exercise varied substantially between countries from 33 percent for Kuwait, to 64 percent for the UK and 94 percent for Mozambique. Study author Tessa Strain of the University of Cambridge noted that by focusing on the number of lives saved “we can tell a good news story of what is already being achieved…it helps us say ‘look how much benefit physical activity is already providing…let’s make things even better by increasing physical activity levels further.”

Source:
Tessa Strain et al, “Use of the prevented fraction for the population to determine deaths averted by existing prevalence of physical activity: a descriptive study. “The Lancet Global Health, July 2020, DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30211-4

More information from this week’s bulletin: