Sedentary work, too much time in front of the screens… The French are too few to practice enough physical activity, according to a study published Tuesday, which shows that the situation has even deteriorated for women.
Less than three-quarters (71%) of men and slightly more than half (53%) of women "met the WHO recommendations on physical activity", or at least 2.5 hours per week of activity. moderate intensity or 1h15 of intense activity, according to this study published in the weekly epidemiological Bulletin of Public Health France.
The youngest behind
These results, from data collected in mainland France between 2014 and 2016, show an improvement in the proportion of physically active men compared to 2006-2007, but a drop among women, since in this previous survey, 63% of the two sexes met the recommendations for physical activity, the authors stress, recalling that "physical inactivity and physical inactivity are major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases".
The situation is even worse in children, with "only half of the boys and a third of the girls" with sufficient physical activity, that is to say at least one hour per day with an intensity "moderate to strong", "without evolution since 2006 "
Too much time in front of the screens
Among “sedentary behaviors”, the survey observes in particular that “the daily time spent in front of the screens has increased sharply in recent years, both among adults and among children”.
Eight out of ten adults reported spending three hours or more per day in front of a screen outside their professional activity, compared to just over half (53%) in 2006-2007, an increase "more marked among women". The percentage of children spending two hours or more in front of a screen each day increased from 66% to 77% at the same time.
Tackling social inequalities
"It seems necessary to promote public health policies aimed jointly at increasing the level of physical activity and limiting the level of physical inactivity of the population," concludes the study. In particular, it recommends combating social inequalities in access to physical leisure activities, developing sports in schools and encouraging the use of "active" modes of transport to go to school.
To determine whether or not those interviewed meet the WHO recommendations, the researchers constructed an indicator adapting these objectives. They thus consider that an adult reaches the physical activity recommendations if he accumulates at least three days per week with at least 25 minutes of intense physical activity per day, or at least five days with at least 30 minutes of activity. moderate daily.
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Physical activity is classified as intense when it “considerably accelerates the heart rate” (swimming, running, football, etc.) and as moderate when it “significantly accelerates” this frequency (walking, dancing, cycling, etc.).