Multiple opportunities: multiple benefits

Physical activity can and should be integrated into the settings in which people live, work, and play. Walking and cycling are key means of transportation and enable engagement in regular physical activity on a daily basis, but their role and popularity are declining in many countries. Sport and active recreation can help promote physical activity for people of all ages and abilities. Globally it can be a key driver of tourism, employment, and infrastructure, and can also help in humanitarian programs, fostering community development and social integration. Physical activity is important across all ages. Active play and recreation are important for early childhood as well as for healthy growth and development in children and adolescents. Quality physical education and supportive school environments can provide physical and health literacy for long-lasting healthy, active lifestyles. It is also important that adults can be physically active and less sedentary at work. Whether working or not, older adults, in particular, can benefit from regular physical activity to maintain physical, mental, and social health and enable healthy aging. Primary and secondary health and social care providers can help individuals of all ages become more active and prevent NCDs, while also using physical activity as a means to increase rates of rehabilitation and recovery. Across all settings, there are opportunities for digital innovations to promote and support people of all ages to be more active and to build upon the rapidly growing practice of mHealth to harness the potential of data to help promote, support, and monitor physical activity.

source: Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: more active people for a healthier world. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.