TORONTO – New research has shown the health risks that come with a lack of exercise, and Canadians are lucky that our nation doesn’t even register in the top ten of the world’s laziest country list.
Of course, ‘lazy’ isn’t the scientific term. Authors have published findings in the medical journal The Lancet made up of self-reported data in adults 15 years or older from 122 countries. Their paper showed the proportion of those who are considered ‘physically inactive.’
Researchers defined ‘physically inactive’ as not meeting any of three criteria:
-30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on at least 5 days every week
-20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity on at least 3 days every week
-an equivalent combination achieving 600 metabolic equivalent (MET)-minutes per week (where MET means the energy spent when sitting quietly)
Authors found inactivity rises with age, is higher in women and increases in high-income countries. The researchers added that environmental factors like accessible park trails could play a role in encouraging exercise, along with good genes and social supports.
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Canada and the U.S. both avoid making the list with between 30 to 39.9 per cent of adults classified as inactive. Some of the most inactive countries may surprise you in the list below.
Top 10 most physically inactive countries:
1. Malta 71.9 per cent
2. Swaziland 69 per cent
3. Saudi Arabia 68.8 per cent
4. Serbia 68.3 per cent
5. Argentina 68.3 per cent
6. Micronesia 66.3 per cent
7. Kuwait 64.5 per cent
8. United Kingdom 63.3 per cent
9. United Arab Emirates 62.5 per cent
10. Malaysia 61.4 per cent
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