Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
  • Register
  • Login
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Current
  • Archives
  • Announcements
  • About
    • About the Journal
    • Submissions
    • Editorial Team
    • Privacy Statement
    • Contact
  • Register
  • Login

Quality in Sport

Physical Inactivity - Do We Hit Rock Bottom? The Epidemiology and Impact of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Adults
  • Home
  • /
  • Physical Inactivity - Do We Hit Rock Bottom? The Epidemiology and Impact of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Adults
  1. Home /
  2. Archives /
  3. Vol. 36 (2024) /
  4. Health Sciences

Physical Inactivity - Do We Hit Rock Bottom?

The Epidemiology and Impact of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Adults

Authors

  • Aneta Rostkowska 1. Orlovsky Hospital in Warsaw https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1142-2507
  • Sebastian Kupisiak 2. The Hospital of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Wołomin, Gdyńska 1/3, 05-200 Wołomin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9631-2314
  • Malwina Draim 3. Southern Hospital in Warsaw, Witolda Pileckiego 99, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1935-0449
  • Natalia Pasierb 4. Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute, Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9701-1162
  • Barbara Rękas 4. Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute, Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4474-7226
  • Michalina Kosowska 4. Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute, Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8966-342X
  • Wiktoria Dzierzgowska 4. Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute, Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4459-2094

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2024.36.56566

Keywords

physical activity, sedentary behaviour, health status, healthy lifestyle

Abstract

Introduction and purpose

Physical activity protects both physical and mental health. However, widespread physical inactivity is the leading risk factor for global mortality. Despite the promotion of healthy lifestyle, there has been no improvement in global levels of physical activity since 2001. This review aims to present the prevalence of physical activity and inactivity across Poland, the European Union (EU) and the world. This cross-national compilation can be used to create campaigns to raise social awareness around physical activity as well as to help health-care providers encourage patients to limit sedentary time. It provides a reliable comparison and indicates vulnerable points regarding the physical activity levels in our societies that should be monitored in further researches. Additionally, there is a summary of the most important health benefits associated with being more active and health risks arising from prolonged sitting time.

Brief description of the state of knowledge

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends adults to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week (or an equivalent combination of the two). Globally, more than 1 in 4 adults are insufficiently physically active.

Summary

If current trends in insufficient physical activity continue, the global target of a 15% relative reduction between 2018 and 2030 will not be met for adults. Investing in policies to promote active recreation and transport, creating affordable and safe spaces and conducting national and community-based campaigns play a key role in limitting sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity.

References

World Health Organization. World Health Organization; Geneva: 2022. Global status report on physical activity 2022. Available online: https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/physical-activity/global-status-report-on-physical-activity-2022 Accessed April 4, 2024

Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2018). Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1·9 million participants. The Lancet. Global health, 6(10), e1077–e1086. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30357-7

World Health Organization . World Health Organization; Geneva: 2020. Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Available online: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128 Accessed: April 14, 2024

World Health Organization. World Health Organization; Geneva: 2018. Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030: More active people for a healthier world. Available onloine: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241514187 Accessed: April 15, 2024

Eurostat. (2020). European Health Interview Survey (EHIS wave 3) Methodological manual Re-edition 2020. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-manuals-and-guidelines/-/ks-01-20-253 Accessed: April 18, 2024 https://doi.org/10.2785/135920

Eurostat (2019). Performing (non-work-related) physical activities by sex, age and educational attainment level [Data set]. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_ehis_pe3e/default/table?lang=en Accessed: April 20, 2024 https://doi.org/10.2908/HLTH_EHIS_PE3E

Eurostat (2019). Performing health-enhancing physical activity by sex, age and educational attainment level [Data set]. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_ehis_pe9e/default/table?lang=en Accessed: April 21, 2024 https://doi.org/10.2908/HLTH_EHIS_PE9E

Eurostat (2019). Time spent on health-enhancing (non-work-related) aerobic physical activity by sex, age and educational attainment level. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_ehis_pe2e/default/table?lang=en Accessed: April 22, 2024 https://doi.org/10.2908/HLTH_EHIS_PE2E.

Eurostat (2019). Time spent on health-enhancing (non-work-related) aerobic physical activity by sex, age and income quintile. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_ehis_pe2i/default/table?lang=en Accessed: April 23, 2024 https://doi.org/10.2908/HLTH_EHIS_PE2I

European Commission (2022), Special Eurobarometer SP525 : Sport and physical activity. Available online: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2668 Accessed April 25, 2024 https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/356346

Stassen, G., Rudolf, K., Gernert, M., Thiel, A., & Schaller, A. (2021). Questionnaire choice affects the prevalence of recommended physical activity: an online survey comparing four measuring instruments within the same sample. BMC public health, 21(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10113-9

Ministry of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Poland (2023). The level of physical activity in Poland, 2023. Available online: https://www.gov.pl/web/sport/aktywnosc-fizyczna-spoleczenstwa2 Accessed: April 26, 2024

Craig, C. L., Marshall, A. L., Sjöström, M., Bauman, A. E., Booth, M. L., Ainsworth, B. E., Pratt, M., Ekelund, U., Yngve, A., Sallis, J. F., & Oja, P. (2003). International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 35(8), 1381–1395. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000078924.61453.FB

Ramirez Varela, A., Hallal, P., Pratt, M., Bauman, A., Borges, C., Lee, I.-M., Heath, G., Powell, K. E., Pedisic, Z., Klepac Pogrmilovic, B., Milton, K., Nguyen, A., Foster, C., Cozzensa, M., Mclaughlin, M., Niño, G. I., Ferreira, P., Ekelund, U., Salvo, D., Ding, D., & Kohl, H. W., III., on behalf of the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) working group. (2021). Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!): 2nd Physical Activity Almanac, Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!). Available online: https://indd.adobe.com/view/cb74644c-ddd9-491b-a262-1c040caad8e3. Accessed: April 28, 2024 http://dx.doi.org/1.051.572/202102

Mclaughlin, M., Atkin, A. J., Starr, L., Hall, A., Wolfenden, L., Sutherland, R., Wiggers, J., Ramirez, A., Hallal, P., Pratt, M., Lynch, B. M., Wijndaele, K., & Sedentary Behaviour Council Global Monitoring Initiative Working Group (2020). Worldwide surveillance of self-reported sitting time: a scoping review. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 17(1), 111. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01008-4

Lee, I. M., Shiroma, E. J., Lobelo, F., Puska, P., Blair, S. N., Katzmarzyk, P. T., & Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group (2012). Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet (London, England), 380(9838), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9

2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. (2018). 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018. Available online: https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines/scientific-report Accessed: April 29, 2024

McTiernan, A., Friedenreich, C. M., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Powell, K. E., Macko, R., Buchner, D., Pescatello, L. S., Bloodgood, B., Tennant, B., Vaux-Bjerke, A., George, S. M., Troiano, R. P., Piercy, K. L., & 2018 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE* (2019). Physical Activity in Cancer Prevention and Survival: A Systematic Review. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(6), 1252–1261. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001937

Boyer, W. R., Churilla, J. R., Ehrlich, S. F., Crouter, S. E., Hornbuckle, L. M., & Fitzhugh, E. C. (2018). Protective role of physical activity on type 2 diabetes: Analysis of effect modification by race-ethnicity. Journal of diabetes, 10(2), 166–178. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-0407.12574

Wahid, A., Manek, N., Nichols, M., Kelly, P., Foster, C., Webster, P., Kaur, A., Friedemann Smith, C., Wilkins, E., Rayner, M., Roberts, N., & Scarborough, P. (2016). Quantifying the Association Between Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Heart Association, 5(9), e002495. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.115.002495

Banach, M., Lewek, J., Surma, S., Penson, P. E., Sahebkar, A., Martin, S. S., Bajraktari, G., Henein, M. Y., Reiner, Ž., Bielecka-Dąbrowa, A., & Bytyçi, I. (2023). The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis. European journal of preventive cardiology, 30(18), 1975–1985. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwad229

Duncan, G. E., Avery, A., Thorson, J. L. M., Nilsson, E. E., Beck, D., & Skinner, M. K. (2022). Epigenome-wide association study of physical activity and physiological parameters in discordant monozygotic twins. Scientific reports, 12(1), 20166. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24642-3

Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., Szeto, K., O'Connor, E., Ferguson, T., Eglitis, E., Miatke, A., Simpson, C. E., & Maher, C. (2023). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. British journal of sports medicine, 57(18), 1203–1209. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106195

Piercy, K. L., Troiano, R. P., Ballard, R. M., Carlson, S. A., Fulton, J. E., Galuska, D. A., George, S. M., & Olson, R. D. (2018). The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA, 320(19), 2020–2028. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.14854

Raji, C. A., Meysami, S., Hashemi, S., Garg, S., Akbari, N., Ahmed, G., Chodakiewitz, Y. G., Nguyen, T. D., Niotis, K., Merrill, D. A., & Attariwala, R. (2024). Exercise-Related Physical Activity Relates to Brain Volumes in 10,125 Individuals. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 97(2), 829–839. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-230740

Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., Brayne, C., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J., Cooper, C., Costafreda, S. G., Dias, A., Fox, N., Gitlin, L. N., Howard, R., Kales, H. C., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E. B., Ogunniyi, A., Orgeta, V., Mukadam, N. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. Lancet (London, England), 396(10248), 413–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6

Benedetti, M. G., Furlini, G., Zati, A., & Letizia Mauro, G. (2018). The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients. BioMed research international, 2018, 4840531. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4840531

Robert Ross, Jean-Philippe Chaput, Lora M. Giangregorio, Ian Janssen, Travis J. Saunders, Michelle E. Kho, Veronica J. Poitras, Jennifer R. Tomasone, Rasha El-Kotob, Emily C. McLaughlin, Mary Duggan, Julie Carrier, Valerie Carson, Sebastien F. Chastin, Amy E. Latimer-Cheung, Tala Chulak-Bozzer, Guy Faulkner, Stephanie M. Flood, Mary Kate Gazendam, Genevieve N. Healy, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, William Kennedy, Kirstin N. Lane, Amanda Lorbergs, Kaleigh Maclaren, Sharon Marr, Kenneth E. Powell, Ryan E. Rhodes, Amanda Ross-White, Frank Welsh, Juana Willumsen, and Mark S. Tremblay. 2020. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18–64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older: an integration of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 45(10 (Suppl. 2)): S57-S102. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0467

Patterson, R., McNamara, E., Tainio, M., de Sá, T. H., Smith, A. D., Sharp, S. J., Edwards, P., Woodcock, J., Brage, S., & Wijndaele, K. (2018). Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 33(9), 811–829. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-018-0380-1

Powell, C., Herring, M. P., Dowd, K. P., Donnelly, A. E., & Carson, B. P. (2018). The cross-sectional associations between objectively measured sedentary time and cardiometabolic health markers in adults - a systematic review with meta-analysis component. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 19(3), 381–395. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12642

Dempsey, P. C., Larsen, R. N., Dunstan, D. W., Owen, N., & Kingwell, B. A. (2018). Sitting Less and Moving More: Implications for Hypertension. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 72(5), 1037–1046. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11190

Hermelink, R., Leitzmann, M. F., Markozannes, G., Tsilidis, K., Pukrop, T., Berger, F., Baurecht, H., & Jochem, C. (2022). Sedentary behavior and cancer-an umbrella review and meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 37(5), 447–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-022-00873-6

Ohlsson, C., Gidestrand, E., Bellman, J., Larsson, C., Palsdottir, V., Hägg, D., Jansson, P. A., & Jansson, J. O. (2020). Increased weight loading reduces body weight and body fat in obese subjects - A proof of concept randomized clinical trial. EClinicalMedicine, 22, 100338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100338

Pati, S., Irfan, W., Jameel, A., Ahmed, S., & Shahid, R. K. (2023). Obesity and Cancer: A Current Overview of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Outcomes, and Management. Cancers, 15(2), 485. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15020485

Huang, Y., Li, L., Gan, Y., Wang, C., Jiang, H., Cao, S., & Lu, Z. (2020). Sedentary behaviors and risk of depression: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Translational psychiatry, 10(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0715-z

Ekelund, U., Steene-Johannessen, J., Brown, W. J., Fagerland, M. W., Owen, N., Powell, K. E., Bauman, A., Lee, I. M., Lancet Physical Activity Series 2 Executive Committe, & Lancet Sedentary Behaviour Working Group (2016). Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women. Lancet (London, England), 388(10051), 1302–1310. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30370-1

Jakicic, J. M., Kraus, W. E., Powell, K. E., Campbell, W. W., Janz, K. F., Troiano, R. P., Sprow, K., Torres, A., Piercy, K. L., & 2018 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE* (2019). Association between Bout Duration of Physical Activity and Health: Systematic Review. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(6), 1213–1219. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001933

Ng, S. W., & Popkin, B. M. (2012). Time use and physical activity: a shift away from movement across the globe. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 13(8), 659–680. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00982.x

Klepac Pogrmilovic, B., Ramirez Varela, A., Pratt, M., Milton, K., Bauman, A., Biddle, S. J. H., & Pedisic, Z. (2020). National physical activity and sedentary behaviour policies in 76 countries: availability, comprehensiveness, implementation, and effectiveness. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 17(1), 116. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01022-6

Van Hecke, L., Loyen, A., Verloigne, M., van der Ploeg, H. P., Lakerveld, J., Brug, J., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., Ekelund, U., Donnelly, A., Hendriksen, I., Deforche, B., & DEDIPAC consortium (2016). Variation in population levels of physical activity in European children and adolescents according to cross-European studies: a systematic literature review within DEDIPAC. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 13, 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0396-4

Downloads

  • PDF

Published

2024-12-16

How to Cite

1.
ROSTKOWSKA, Aneta, KUPISIAK, Sebastian, DRAIM, Malwina, PASIERB, Natalia, RĘKAS, Barbara, KOSOWSKA, Michalina and DZIERZGOWSKA, Wiktoria. Physical Inactivity - Do We Hit Rock Bottom? The Epidemiology and Impact of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Adults. Quality in Sport. Online. 16 December 2024. Vol. 36, p. 56566. [Accessed 2 June 2025]. DOI 10.12775/QS.2024.36.56566.
  • ISO 690
  • ACM
  • ACS
  • APA
  • ABNT
  • Chicago
  • Harvard
  • IEEE
  • MLA
  • Turabian
  • Vancouver
Download Citation
  • Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
  • BibTeX

Issue

Vol. 36 (2024)

Section

Health Sciences

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Aneta Rostkowska, Sebastian Kupisiak, Malwina Draim, Natalia Pasierb, Barbara Rękas, Michalina Kosowska, Wiktoria Dzierzgowska

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Stats

Number of views and downloads: 236
Number of citations: 0

Search

Search

Browse

  • Browse Author Index
  • Issue archive

User

User

Current Issue

  • Atom logo
  • RSS2 logo
  • RSS1 logo

Information

  • For Readers
  • For Authors
  • For Librarians

Newsletter

Subscribe Unsubscribe

Tags

Search using one of provided tags:

physical activity, sedentary behaviour, health status, healthy lifestyle
Up

Akademicka Platforma Czasopism

Najlepsze czasopisma naukowe i akademickie w jednym miejscu

apcz.umk.pl

Partners

  • Akademia Ignatianum w Krakowie
  • Akademickie Towarzystwo Andragogiczne
  • Fundacja Copernicus na rzecz Rozwoju Badań Naukowych
  • Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla Polskiej Akademii Nauk
  • Instytut Kultur Śródziemnomorskich i Orientalnych PAN
  • Instytut Tomistyczny
  • Karmelitański Instytut Duchowości w Krakowie
  • Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego
  • Państwowa Akademia Nauk Stosowanych w Krośnie
  • Państwowa Akademia Nauk Stosowanych we Włocławku
  • Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa im. Stanisława Pigonia w Krośnie
  • Polska Fundacja Przemysłu Kosmicznego
  • Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne
  • Polskie Towarzystwo Ludoznawcze
  • Towarzystwo Miłośników Torunia
  • Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu
  • Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
  • Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie
  • Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika
  • Uniwersytet w Białymstoku
  • Uniwersytet Warszawski
  • Wojewódzka Biblioteka Publiczna - Książnica Kopernikańska
  • Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Pelplinie / Wydawnictwo Diecezjalne „Bernardinum" w Pelplinie

© 2021- Nicolaus Copernicus University Accessibility statement Shop