Inactivity 'killing as many as
smoking'
A
lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a
study suggests.
The
report, published in the Lancet to
coincide with the build-up to the Olympics, estimates that about a third of
adults are not doing enough physical activity, causing 5.3m deaths a year.
That
equates to about one in 10 deaths from diseases such as heart disease, diabetes
and breast and colon cancer.
Researchers
said the problem was now so bad it should be treated as a pandemic.
And
they said tackling it required a new way of thinking, suggesting the public
needed to be warned about the dangers of inactivity rather than just reminded
of the benefits of being active.
The
team of 33 researchers drawn from centers across the world also said
governments needed to look at ways to make physical activity more convenient,
affordable and safer.
It
is recommended that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk
walking, cycling or gardening, each week.
The
Lancet study found people in higher income countries were the least active with
those in the UK among the worst, as nearly two-thirds of adults were judged not
to be doing enough.
The
researchers admitted comparisons between countries were difficult because the
way activity was estimated may have differed from place to place.
Nonetheless,
they said they remained confident that their overall conclusion was valid.
Pedro
Hallal, one of the lead researchers, said: "With the upcoming 2012 Olympic
Games, sport and physical activity will attract tremendous worldwide attention.
"Although
the world will be watching elite athletes from many countries compete in
sporting events... most spectators will be quite inactive.
"The
global challenge is clear - make physical activity a public health priority
throughout the world to improve health and reduce the burden of disease."
Prof
Lindsey Davies, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, agreed.
"We
need to do all we can to make it easy for people to look after their health and
get active as part of their daily lives," she said.
"Our
environment has a significant part to play. For example, people who feel unsafe
in their local park will be less likely to use it."
But
others questioned equating smoking with inactivity.
While
smoking and inactivity kill a similar number of people, smoking rates are much
lower than the number of inactive people, making smoking more risky to the
individual.
Dr
Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said: "When it comes to preventing
cancer, stopping smoking is by far the most important thing you can do."
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