Physical Activity 2016: Progress and Challenges

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One hour of physical activity per day could offset the risk of sitting for 8 hours per day. However, regardless of physical activity, watching TV for three hours or more per day was associated with increased risk of death, except in the most active quartile (ie, about 60-75 minutes per day), where risk of death was significantly increased only in people who watched TV for 5 or more hours per day.

In 2012, in The Lancet’s first Series on physical activity, physical inactivity was identified as important a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases as obesity and tobacco. Modifiable risk factor is something that a person can modify now to improve their health, such as quitting smoking, reducing body fat percent, or walking more.

In July 2016, The Lancet published its second Series on physical activity, which presents an update of the field, including progress in research, surveillance, intervention strategies, and policy actions. The second Series also includes the largest systematic review on the associations of of sedentary behavior and physical activity with all-cause mortality, as well as the first global estimate of the economic burden of physical inactivity.

It is important to incorporate more physical activity into our daily routines AND eliminate how much time we spend sitting.

Read more about the urgency in addressing physical activity in Latino youth here.