WHO Warns Millions of Teenagers Worldwide Remain Physically Inactive

GENEVA: (News Desk) – Around one in four teenagers worldwide engages in virtually no physical activity, failing to complete even one hour of exercise during an entire week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, highlighting growing concerns about long-term health risks.

According to new global estimates released by the WHO on Wednesday, approximately 25 per cent of adolescents aged 11 to 17 reported having no physically active days during the previous week. The organisation defines an active day as completing at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The research, published in The Lancet Global Health, analysed hundreds of population-based surveys conducted across 140 countries and territories, covering more than 3.2 million teenagers.

Extrapolating the findings, the WHO estimated that around 240 million young people worldwide do not engage in the recommended level of daily physical activity on any day of the week.

The findings further revealed that teenagers participating in the surveys were physically active for an average of just 2.7 days per week. Only 14 per cent reported achieving at least 60 minutes of physical activity on all seven days.

The WHO warned that a sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for several serious health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

The global health agency stressed that encouraging children and teenagers to develop healthy and active routines from an early age is essential to protecting their long-term health and reducing the worldwide burden of chronic diseases.

Expressing concern over the lack of improvement, the organisation said physical activity levels among adolescents had remained virtually unchanged over the past 15 years.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world had made little progress in encouraging young people to become physically active, adding that girls continued to face greater disadvantages than boys.

The report highlighted a significant gender gap, with teenage girls considerably less active than boys in almost every country and region.

According to the estimates, 28 per cent of girls reported having no physically active days during the previous week, compared with 22 per cent of boys. Meanwhile, only 11 per cent of girls reported being active every day, against 17 per cent of boys.

The study also identified considerable differences between countries. Around 40 per cent of adolescents in Namibia, Nepal and the Philippines reported no active days during the week. In contrast, more than 30 per cent of young people in Bangladesh and Serbia reported engaging in daily physical activity.

Tedros emphasised that addressing the problem required more than simply encouraging teenagers to exercise. He called for safer schools, streets and communities where walking, cycling, playing and other physical activities could become part of everyday life.

The WHO also identified several factors influencing physical activity among young people, including transportation facilities, access to safe recreational spaces, opportunities for walking and cycling, school environments and social attitudes.

Increasing dependence on digital devices and screen-based entertainment was also highlighted as a factor contributing to sedentary lifestyles.

The organisation urged governments to introduce effective policies that make physical activity safer, more accessible and easier to incorporate into daily routines.