500 Million People Could Develop Lifestyle Diseases By 2030: WHO Report

WHO urged countries to frame policies that encourage physical activity by investing in developing active and sustainable transport.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that nearly 500 million people are at risk of developing heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other non-communicable diseases between 2020 and 2030 if governments do not take urgent action to encourage more physical activity. In a report released last week,

The UN agency said the price of staying on the sofa would be high -

About $27 billion annually in additional healthcare costs. The report is based on an assessment of steps taken by UN member states to increase physical activity across all ages.

“Data from 194 countries show that overall,

The Global State of Physical Activity 2022 said progress is slow and countries need to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase heart rates, help prevent disease, and reduce the burden on already overburdened health services.

It also presented some findings from around the world regarding physical activity as policy.

The report stated that less than 50 percent of countries have a national physical activity policy, less than 40 percent of which are operational. She added that only 30 percent of countries had national guidelines on physical activity for all ages.

"While nearly all countries report a system to monitor adult exercise, only 75% of countries monitor adolescent activity, and less than 30% monitor physical activity in children under five," the WHO report states.

The report called for policies that encourage active and sustainable transport.

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