More than 46 percent of people aged 13 years or older in Taiwan are not sufficiently active, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said.
The agency said that last year’s National Health Interview Survey showed that 46.1 percent — 37.5 percent of men and 54.6 percent of women — did not perform at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, as recommended by the WHO.
The WHO recommends that adults engage in at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week to improve cardio-respiratory and muscular fitness and bone health, which can reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and depression, the agency said.
Those between five and 17 years old are advised to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day.
Walking, dancing, hiking, swimming, walking, cycling, occupational activities, household chores, sports and planned exercise are all counted as physical activities, the agency said.
It added that respondents between ages 30 and 54 were the most inactive.
In a survey on exercise habits by the Sports Administration last year, respondents said that they did not perform physical activities because they “had no time” (46.5 percent) or were “too tired from work” (27.8 percent), and because of “laziness” (19.2 percent).
The HPA said WHO data show that about 3.2 million deaths each year are due to insufficient physical activity and lack of exercise might cause between 21 and 27 percent of breast and colon cancers, about 27 percent of incidences of diabetes and 30 percent of cases of ischaemic heart disease.
The agency urges people to try and find time for exercise each day, HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) said.
They could exercise while commuting or waiting, for example by performing simple aerobics, and accumulate at least 30 minutes each day, Wang said, but added that each time should last more than 10 minutes.
The WHO says physical inactivity is globally the fourth leading cause of mortality, the agency said.
Six of the 10 top causes of death in Taiwan can potentially be caused by insufficient physical activity, it said.
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