Health and Tech: Sedentary life linked to all major chronic diseases

Number of studies indicated that anywhere between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of adults in India between 18 years and 69 years do not meet the physical activity regimen that is recommended by WHO

Leading a sedentary life is directly linked to all the major chronic diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, heart ailments, cancers and strokes. Except for genetic diseases and infections that have originated from bacteria, virus etc, almost all the modern-day chronic diseases have direct or indirect link to lack of physical activity.

Despite the known risks of lack of physical exercise, there a number of studies and surveys out of India that have indicated that anywhere between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of adults in India between 18 years and 69 years do not meet the physical activity regimen that is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity in a week. There are some other studies that have said that 4 out of 10 Indian adults are physically inactive, indicating that nearly 42 per cent of Indian adults do not meet the recommended physical activity from WHO.

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As a result of lack of physical activity, in the near future, almost all the States in India including Telangana are staring at a significant rise in the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which will test the capacity of Government health care institutions and cause financial distress to individuals.

What is physical activity?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity as “Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that requires energy expenditure. It can be undertaken in many different ways: walking, cycling, sports and active forms of recreation such as dance, yoga, taichi etc. Physical activity can also be undertaken as part of work like lifting, carrying or other active tasks, and as part of paid or unpaid domestic tasks around the home cleaning, carrying and care duties”.

The WHO has also defined sedentary behavior as “any waking behavior characterized by an energy expenditure of less than 1.5 metabolic equivalents, such as sitting, reclining or lying down. Recent evidence indicates that high levels of continuous sedentary behavior like sitting for long periods of time are associated with abnormal glucose metabolism and cardiometabolic morbidity, as well as overall mortality”.

What are benefits of physical activity?

Making physical activity like walking, exercising etc a part of daily life can provide multiple health benefits, provide long-term prevention from chronic diseases and importantly has a profound positive impact on mental health. Researchers also often point out that pursuing physical activity is a non-invasive means to prevent chronic diseases.

Pursuing daily physical exercise has the potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular ailments by at least 80 per cent. There are studies indicating that active lifestyle can lead to 90 per cent reduction of risk from type 2 diabetes and 33 per cent reduction of cancer. In addition to contributing towards reducing the risk of NCD diseases, physical activity also is clearly associated with improved mental health, delay in the onset of dementia and overall improvement of quality of life and well-being.