WHO Points To NZ’s Unacceptable Physical Inactivity

November 1, 2022

New Zealand has an unacceptably level of physical inactivity, according to the first ever World Health Organisation (WHO) report on global physically inactivity.

The report says 95 percent of New Zealand girls 11 to 17 are physically inactive compared to 85 percent of boys the same age. For those 18 and over, 45 percent of women are inactive and 39 percent of men don’t exercise enough.

And among Kiwis 70 and over, 62 percent of women and 55 percent of do not exercise enough. So is New Zealand a physically active country? ExerciseNZ’s chief executive Richard Beddie says Aotearoa’s people are becoming less active, resulting in rising health costs and lower quality of life for Kiwis.

"New Zealand is actually one of the worst countries in the world for being energetic and exercising. Forty-eight percent of Kiwi adults don't hit global activity targets,” he says.

“But it's even worse among children and teenagers an alarming percentage of them are not active enough. The global average is 21 percent for adults and 81 percent for kids and adolescents.

“Lost production caused by physical inactivity costs the New Zealand economy $2.3 billion a year, according to a Deloitte report this year. New Zealand is often seen as a sports-mad country but Aotearoa is becoming a nation of inactive people.”

The WHO has asked the government to collaborate with the exercise industry to improve activity levels.

Physical inactivity is an established risk factor for premature mortality and several non-communicable diseases. It has been estimated that physical inactivity causes six to 10 percent of the cases of premature mortality, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer and colon cancer globally.

WHO has just published its first ever global status report on physical activity. This report is a wake-up call which aims to measure the extent to which governments are implementing recommendations to increase physical activity across all ages and abilities.

The benefits of physical activity are tremendous, not only for the physical and mental health of individuals, but also for society, the environment and the economy.

The report paints a concerning overall picture, estimating that physical inactivity will cause almost 500 million people globally to develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases by 2030 and will cost $27 billion each year.

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