One in four teenagers worldwide gets no full hour of daily exercise in a week, WHO warns
WHO sounds alarm over lack of physical activity among teens
A recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that one in four teenagers worldwide leads a sedentary lifestyle, with no full hour of daily exercise in a week, significantly increasing their risk of health issues. The WHO's global estimates, based on hundreds of surveys from 140 countries involving over 3.2 million teens, show that 25% of adolescents aged 11 to 17 reported no active days in the past week.
This amounts to approximately 240 million young people with no active days in a week. Only 14% of adolescents were active on all seven days. The WHO warns that physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO chief, expressed concern over the lack of progress in improving adolescent physical activity levels over the past 15 years, with girls being left further behind.
The gender gap in physical activity among teens is significant, with 28% of girls reporting no active days compared to 22% of boys. The report highlights the need for societies to prioritize creating safe, accessible, and normal environments for adolescents to engage in physical activity.
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