Systems approaches to global and national physical activity plans

Harry Rutter*, Nick Cavill, Adrian Bauman, Fiona Bull

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

125 Citations (Scopus)
112 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A key driver for promoting physical activity is reducing the global burden of noncommunicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. These diseases are responsible for more than 41 million deaths annually, of which a third occur before the age of 70 years.1 Physical activity has multiple positive impacts on noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer,2 as well as numerous social and economic benefits including reduced use of fossil fuels, cleaner air and less congested, safer roads. All these effects are closely linked to several sustainable development goals.3 However, policy actions have been insufficient and uneven, and government strategies to increase physical activity have not consistently increased the proportion of the adult population meeting recommended levels of activity.4 Without significant scaling of efforts at local, regional, national and international levels, the global targets for physical activity are unlikely to be achieved.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)162–165
JournalBulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume97
Issue number2
Early online date19 Dec 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2019

Research Groups and Themes

  • SPS Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Systems approaches to global and national physical activity plans'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this