Whether at home or at the office, we’re spending more time sitting down at our computer. What are the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and how can we avoid them, asks Charmaine Gauci.
The combination of an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and rapidly changing diets is resulting in the more common incidence of certain diseases, even at a young age. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, physical inactivity is the principal cause of approximately 27 per cent of type 2 diabetes and 30 per cent of ischemic heart disease.
Being physically active plays a crucial role in ensuring health and well-being. Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Regular moderate intensity physical activity such as walking, cycling, or participating in sports has significant health benefits. Physical activity benefits many parts of the body including the heart, skeletal muscles, bones, blood cholesterol levels, immune system and nervous system. Research also shows that physical activity can reduce many of the risk factors for non-communicable diseases such as reducing blood pressure, improving blood cholesterol levels and lowering weight.
Reversing the tide of physical inactivity can have striking impacts on many of the major diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, many forms of cancer and heart disease. Specific benefits include a risk reduction for breast cancer of approximately 20 to 40 per cent for those who do vigorous physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes on five days each week. The most active people are also at 30 per cent lower risk of colon cancer than the least fit. Active individuals can also benefit from a 25 to 30 per cent reduction in stroke while physically inactive people can have as much as twice the risk of coronary heart disease.
In addition to the benefits of physical activity on improving health and reducing risk factors for chronic disease, it has been shown to be effective in improving mental health, which is also a major cause of disability worldwide.
Physical activity is important and beneficial at all ages. Among adolescents, increased leisure-time physical activity – that is, activity outside structured school programmes – is significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms over a two-year period. Some studies also show that physical activity accelerates learning by increasing cognitive processes. Among older people, physical activity can be of benefit to maintaining mental health. A study of men aged 70 to 81 years shows that those who had the highest physical activity have a 20 per cent lower risk of cognitive decline including memory and attention.
Unfortunately, despite all this evidence in favour of physical activity, it yet remains at very low levels in many countries including Malta. There is no one intervention which can be done which will be effective. This is a complex problem which needs interventions across various categories: in order to be successful, such interventions must be multi-component and adapted to the local context.
Interventions that are culturally and environmentally appropriate are more likely to be implemented and sustained
The World Health Organisation recommends interventions in areas of policy and environment; using the media; using various settings such as school, the workplace and the community; supported through health systems especially in primary health care; and targeting the whole population through a life-course approach in an equitable manner.
Interventions that are culturally and environmentally appropriate are more likely to be implemented and sustained. Furthermore, interventions that use the existing social structures of a community such as schools or the regular meetings of older adults in religious settings or day centres, reduce barriers to implementation. Increasing physical activity needs the participation of stakeholders throughout the process. For instance, when planning an intervention at the workplace, the involvement of workers in the planning and implementation is essential. Listening and learning from these target groups ensures that the interventions address their needs.
Two main types of strategies used are the individual and the population approaches. For the individual-based approach, one needs to target the intervention to the specific group. In order to have sustainable behaviour change, one needs to takeup small, manageable, appropriate changes, while setting personal goals to encourage behaviour change.
Population-based approaches look at changing the environment in the wider context including the social and built environment, which together influence our health choices. Factors in the social environments known to affect update of physical activity are socioeconomic status, cultural beliefs, and opportunities to improve social cohesion in the various areas. Factors in the built environment that influence participation in physical activity are urban design, transport and traffic, and the availability of open spaces.
Targeting physical activity will bring benefits to the individual and to the whole of society.
Get physical
Leisure time activities are those done in periods of time outsideof work and essential domesticactivities: good examples of such activities are walking groups,cycling groups, dancing or community gardening.
Active transport refers to walking or biking as a means of transportation and not purely as a form of recreation. We need to encourage walking or biking to work or school, or going about daily activities such as shopping. Active living is a way of life in which exercise is fully integrated into daily activities.
According to the World Health Organisation, children and youths aged five to 17 years should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity daily. Adults aged over 18 years including older adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activity.
For more information and support contact the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate on 2326 6000.
Dr Charmaine Gauci is Director, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate and Consultant, Public Health Medicine.