New Delhi, August 03 (The Street Press India) – Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda criticized the WHO’s recent report claiming half of India’s adult population is physically unfit, noting it was based on data from just three states and one union territory. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Nadda highlighted the methodological flaws in the report’s extrapolated findings.
Nadda explained that the WHO defines ‘sufficient physical activity’ as 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking or light lifting, per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running or outdoor sports, per week.
The activity level quantified in the WHO report is based on self-reported responses to questions about physical activity lasting at least 10 minutes.
Nadda also cited the National NCD Monitoring Survey of 2020 by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which found that 58.7 percent of Indian adults met the WHO’s physical activity recommendations.
Nadda informed the Lok Sabha about another ICMR study, “Physical Activity and Inactivity Patterns in India,” conducted in 2014 as part of the ICMR-INDIAB Study (Phase 1). This study found that 54.4 percent of the sampled adult population were insufficiently physically active. The findings were based on data collected from three states—Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand—and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Based on the ICMR-INDIAB Study (Phase 1) data, the WHO, in collaboration with *The Lancet*, published an article titled “National, Regional, and Global Trends in Insufficient Physical Activity Among Adults from 2000 to 2022: A Pooled Analysis of 507 Population-Based Surveys with 5.7 Million Participants.” The report highlighted a significant increase in insufficient physical activity among Indians, rising from 22.3% in 2000 to 49.4% in 2022.
“The WHO relied on the data collected only from 3 states and one UT and extrapolated results through a modelling technique indicating inbuilt methodological issues. The projections to 2030 are also based on extrapolations and modelling,” said Nadda.
In its Global Status Report on Physical Activity 2022, the WHO examined the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults over 18. The report noted high inactivity rates in several high-income countries, including the USA (33.7%), Canada (37.2%), and Japan (44.7%).
To address these issues, the Government of India promotes health and fitness through initiatives like the ‘Fit India Movement,’ encouraging people to stay active and healthy. Additionally, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) supports various activities aimed at promoting healthy living and physical activity, Nadda explained.
