Physical inactivity: A silent killer

The Author, Dr Divine Lardey Agyemang

“In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection.”- Plato

Physical inactivity is defined as failing to accrue at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both intensities each week, according to WHO standards. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around four to five million deaths that could have been avoided. Only smoking, high blood pressure, and a high body mass index (BMI) outrank physical inactivity as a risk factor for noncommunicable illnesses.

Worldwide, 27.5% of adults are classified as physically inactive, and the prevalence of physical inactive adults mostly live in urban settlements. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that all states and territories in the US had more than 15% of adults who are physically inactive, with a prevalence rate estimated between 17.3% to 47.7%.In Nigeria, the pooled crude prevalence of physical inactivity was reported to be 52%, with prevalence in women higher (55.8%), compared to that of men (49.3%).In almost all countries, WHO found that men were more active than women.

Sedentary behaviours (from the Latin word sedere meaning “to sit”) include sitting during commuting, in the workplace and the domestic environment, and during leisure time. Common sedentary behaviours include TV viewing, video game playing, computer use (collective termed “screen time”), driving automobiles, and reading. There is a difference between a person who is sedentary and a person who is physically inactive. Being ‘physically inactive’ means not doing enough physical activity (in other words, not meeting the physical activity guidelines). However, being ‘sedentary’ means sitting or lying down for long periods. So, a person can do enough physical activity to meet the guidelines and still be considered sedentary if they spend a large amount of their day sitting or lying down at work, at home, for study, for travel or during their leisure time.

How we live is influenced by where we live. Sidewalks, protected bike lanes, street patterns that slow traffic and make it safe to cross, parks, gyms, shops, and other places within walking distance can all help us be more active. Many factors contribute to people's inactivity, but the "built environment," or man-made world, with its towns and neighbourhoods, streets and buildings, parks and walks, plays a significant impact. It's also important to consider our social surroundings. Families and co-workers who are supportive, for example, may make it simpler for folks to get up and move.

Additional widespread adoption of novel technologies that can provide more opportunities to reduce sitting time (for example, height-adjustable workstations) or new workplace laws to limit or break up extended periods of job-related sitting are possible outcomes. Active transportation options might be promoted not simply as opportunities for walking, but also as alternatives to the extended lengths of time spent in automobiles by many individuals. It might also be worth considering providing non-sitting options at community entertainment facilities or events. Where, when, how, and how much physical exercise we obtain on a daily basis are all influenced by our surroundings and the policies that define them. Cities have more roads, vehicles, and car travel, and less walking and biking for transportation and recreation.

Their neighbourhoods are more densely packed, and they have less outdoor leisure area. They provide more exposure to food and beverage marketing through mass media, which has the potential to change people's preferences away from traditional diets. Finally, metropolitan areas have a higher proportion of sedentary jobs (such as manufacturing and desk employment) and a lower proportion of active jobs (such as farming).

Individual qualities as well as the social environment influence physical exercise behaviour. Whether or not a person is physically active is determined by demographic factors such as gender and age, as well as socioeconomic factors such as education and income level.

Education/school/child care, transportation, self-care/domestic tasks, and leisure/play are four areas where sedentary behavior can occur in children's life. Being a student is a primary "occupation" for school-aged children, and the majority of the school day is spent sitting. Homework also adds to the amount of time spent sitting. Children spend the majority of their time in transit, sitting in buses to and from school and other destinations. Eating and grooming are two sedentary self-care duties. Sedentary behaviors in leisure and play include reading from a book or staring at an electronic screen. Family can be the seedbed for a physically active life. Studies show that parents are particularly important as models, encouragers, and facilitators of physical activity in children and adolescents.

Their roles include everything from buying sports equipment and taking kids to practice to paying fees. Other important factors in raising active children include paternal activity levels and positive reinforcement, maternal participation, sibling involvement, time spent outdoors.

Time spent watching television has been linked to poor bone health, increased risks for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease markers, poor pro-social behaviour, increased aggression, lower academic achievement, depression, and lower quality of life in adolescents. Sedentary behaviours follow people from childhood through adolescence and maturity. Most experts agree that sedentary screen-based activities like watching TV should be limited to no more than 2 hours per day for adolescents. The importance and advantages of minimizing sedentary behaviours among young should be recognized by policymakers in areas such as health, education, and welfare. Effective strategies for reducing the time that young people spend being sedentary include interventions that support active transport and active play within schools, families and communities.

Physical inactivity increases all causes of mortality, double the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, increase the risks of colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, lipid disorders, depression and anxiety.

In order to deal with the modern menace of inactivity, individuals and families can do the following;

• Identify available time slots. Monitor your daily activities for one week. Identify at least five 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity every day.

• Plan ahead. Make physical activity a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule and write it on your calendar.

• Add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, walk or ride your bike to work or shopping, organize school activities around physical activity, walk the dog, take the stairs, exercise while you watch TV, park farther away from your destination, etc.

• Explain your interest in physical activity to friends and family. Ask them to support your efforts. Invite friends and family members to exercise with you. Plan social activities involving exercise. Develop new friendships with physically active people. Join a gym or keep fit-group and convince members of your family to join you.

• Learn how to exercise appropriately considering your age, fitness level, skill level, and health status. Choose activities involving minimum risk.

• Select activities that don’t require new skills, such as walking, climbing stairs, or jogging.

• Select activities that require minimal facilities or equipment, such as walking, jogging, jumping rope, or calisthenics. Identify inexpensive, convenient resources available in your community (community education programs, park and use them)

Exercise does not only change your body, but it also changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood. Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart. Good things come to those who sweat.

Writer: Dr. Divine Lardey Agyemang

Email: [email protected]