Around one in four adolescents worldwide does not engage in physical activity even one hour a week, increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Global Health.
According to the organization, approximately 240 million adolescents aged 11 to 17 had not had a single active day during the week. Researchers defined an active day as one involving at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The findings are based on data from more than 3.2 million adolescents across 140 countries and territories.
On average, study participants engaged in physical activity on 2.7 days per week. Only 14% of adolescents were physically active every day.
The difference between girls and boys was particularly pronounced. No active days during the week were reported by 28% of girls and 22% of boys. Only 11% of girls engaged in daily physical activity, compared with 17% of boys.
In some countries, including Namibia, Nepal and the Philippines, around 40% of adolescents had no active days during the week. In Bangladesh and Serbia, by contrast, more than 30% of young people reported engaging in physical activity every day.
According to the WHO, the situation has remained virtually unchanged over the past 15 years. Physical activity levels are influenced not only by personal habits but also by everyday living conditions, including street safety, access to sports facilities, opportunities to walk or cycle, the school environment and time spent in front of screens.
The organization has called on countries to create conditions that make physical activity a safe and accessible part of adolescents' daily lives.
Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter