Every third person in the European Union (EU) has an insufficient level of physical activity, show the latest data. That leads to millions of cases of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) that ruin people’s health and burden economies.
The new report “Step up! Tackling the burden of insufficient physical activity in Europe”, published jointly by WHO/Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), explains how increasing physical activity can prevent thousands of premature deaths in the EU and save billions of euros in health-care spending annually.
The report, developed with funding from the European Union, will be presented at a hybrid event organized in Copenhagen, Denmark on 17 February. Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, and Mr Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, OECD Deputy Secretary General, will take part in a discussion that will gather prominent health and economics experts of the WHO European Region.
The new report presents findings such as:
the number of premature deaths that could be prevented if everyone were to follow WHO physical activity recommendations;
the estimated economic burden of insufficient physical activity in the EU countries; and
a wide range of policy options that could increase physical activity levels and thereby improve population health and reduce health-care expenditure.