Step Up! Tackling the Burden of Insufficient Physical Activity in Europe

This report calls on policy makers to step up the policy response to increase physical activity. Being physically active is one of the most important things people can do to improve their physical and mental health. It helps prevent a range of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and improves mental health and cognitive functioning, among other benefits. Nevertheless, too many Europeans are physically inactive. One in three European adults do not meet the WHO physical activity guidelines, and almost half never exercise or play sport. The report describes patterns and trends of insufficient physical activity in Europe. It reviews the detrimental impact that current physical inactivity levels have on population health and health expenditure. The report provides policy makers with options to address insufficient physical activity, drawing on case studies from across Europe.

Published on February 17, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Foreword	Read PDF
Acronyms and abbreviations	Read PDF
Executive summary	Read PDF
Why physical activity?	Read PDF
Physical activity in Europe: Trends and patterns	Read PDF
The burden of insufficient physical activity	Read PDF
Policy options to increase physical activity	Read PDF
Glossary	Read PDF

Policy Highlights

This report calls on policy makers to step-up the policy response to increase physical activity. Being physically active is one of the most important things people can do to improve their physical and mental health. It helps prevent a range of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and improves mental health and cognitive functioning, among other benefits.
Nevertheless, too many Europeans are physically inactive:

One in three European adults do not meet the WHO physical activity guidelines
Almost half never exercise or play sport
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, with many people reporting a decrease in physical activity due to restrictions and confinement

Increasing physical activity levels to the WHO recommendation would:

Prevent more than 10 000 premature (people aged 30 to 70 years) deaths per year
Increase life expectancy of people who are insufficiently active by 7.5 months, and of the total population by nearly 2 months
Save European Union Member States 0.6% of their healthcare budget on average, a total of nearly EUR PPP 8 billion per year

Benefits-of-physical-activity

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Step Up! Tackling the Burden of Insufficient Physical Activity in Europe

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