41.4 per cent Indian adults not sweating it out

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, February 13

Four in every 10 Indian adults have reported insufficient physical activity which puts them at an enhanced risk of non-communicable diseases.

A new collaborative study by WHO and ICMR to determine levels of physical activity, associated socio demographic and lifestyle factors among 18 to 69 year olds in India has shown insufficient physical activity in 41.1 pc of all adults surveyed.

Women are lazier than men, finds the study led by Prashant Mathur from the ICMR side.

Titled “Prevalence and Correlates of Insufficient Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18–69 Years in India: Findings From the National Noncommunicable Disease Monitoring Survey”, the study shows a higher proportion of women (52.4 pc) and urban adults (51.7 pc) were not doing sufficient physical activity.

Men (118.8 minutes) spent more time exercising per day than women (55.3 minutes).

Higher odds of insufficient PA were significantly associated with unemployment, highest wealth quintile, presence of central obesity and raised blood pressure.

“The physical activity level among Indian adults was significantly associated with marital and employment status, with sufficient PA levels higher in never-married and employed adults. The majority in these categories were men and rural respondents. Never-married adults also showed lower prevalence of other behavioral and metabolic risk factors like consumption of alcohol (14.7 pc), use of smoked tobacco (12.2 pc), raised blood pressure (15.6 pc), and raised fasting blood glucose (2.6 pc) thus, indicating healthy behaviors in this group of adults,” the study published today says.

The national level NCD monitoring survey provides the baseline prevalence of insufficient PA to monitor the set physical activity targets for India by 2025.

“High prevalence of insufficient PA among Indian adults necessitates promotion of leisure-time activity with special attention to women and travel and work-related activity among urban residents,” says Mathur.

The study says a higher proportion of urban residents (51.7 pc) were doing insufficient activity compared with rural 36.1 pc.

Insufficient activity 

Adults who spent