Reacción a "Policies to promote physical activity fall short"

I believe this study is important because it calls attention to politicians and society in general regarding the importance of developing strategies to prevent the current pandemic of physical inactivity, which, let us remember, is directly or indirectly one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Rather than an exhaustive scientific analysis, the study is based on questions posed to policy-makers, academics and other figures involved in health and physical activity, to find out their perception of what is being done in their respective countries to increase levels of physical activity. The results reveal something that many of us already suspected: although evidence of the dangers of physical inactivity has grown exponentially over the last decade, strategies to prevent physical inactivity are still not a political priority, and the few that have been proposed do not seem to have been developed effectively.

Unlike other risk factors such as smoking, against which action is being taken at all levels, physical activity continues to be largely overlooked. We invest more in treating diseases than in preventing them, in which promoting physical activity would be key. This context is particularly worrying in less developed countries or areas, although even in Europe there is still no clear action programme to prevent physical inactivity in different contexts and among different population groups (children, adults and the elderly). It is necessary to coordinate the various elements involved (policy-makers, businesspeople, health professionals, teachers and the general population) in order to combat physical inactivity effectively.