More than 1.4 billion people, or a quarter of the world's population, are affected by a lack of exercise. In Germany, around 42 percent of people do not get enough exercise. This puts Germany in 15th place among inactive countries.
According to an extensive survey by scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO), which appeared in the journal Lancet Global Health (Guthold et al, 2018), the proportion of inactive people worldwide has remained at a high level since 2001. The WHO's general guidelines on the topic were considered sufficient exercise in the study: at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise (such as dancing, walking the dog or playing with children) or 75 minutes of intense exercise (for example, jogging, team sports or fast cycling) per week.
Germany is in a bad position
In Germany, the number of people taking too little exercise actually increased between 2001 and 2016, and by more than 15 percent - one of the largest increases in the world. As a result, around 42 percent of people in Germany do too little exercise. This puts us in a rather poor position worldwide, with Germany ranking 15th among the most inactive countries! People in the United States of America(40 percent) and Italy(41 percent) exercise similarly little. In France, on the other hand, people are more active: more than two-thirds of the population get enough exercise, according to the WHO study. Among the Western countries, only New Zealand, Portugal and Cyprus fared worse than Germany.
Dramatic consequences
People who take little exercise, for example, suffer more frequently on average from cardiovascular diseases ranging from heart attacks to strokes, are more likely to be overweight and/or develop type 2 diabetes or breast or colon cancer.
Conclusion for the industry
The need for professional offers for more exercise is obviously there, also in Germany. This is a real opportunity for professional fitness and health studios, which have always seen exercise offerings as an important part of their core offering.
Information on the study and results:
www.who.int/ncds/prevention/physical-activity/global-action-plan-2018-2030/en
The article in the Lancet Global Health:
www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/langlo/PIIS2214-109X(18)30357-7.pdf.
Published on: 21 May 2019