This is a statement led by NCD Alliance and the World Heart Federation at the 77 World Health Assembly on Agenda item 15.3
We thank WHO and commend the report’s focus on building healthy ecosystems for healthy people.
Physical inactivity is one of the most significant risk factors across NCDs. It increases relative risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and hypertension by 45%, 60% and 30% respectively. Almost 500 million new cases of preventable NCDs will occur globally between 2020 and 2030 due to physical inactivity, costing over US$300 billion.
To effectively address physical inactivity, it is also crucial to consider social and commercial determinants of health, such as marketing of sedentary lifestyles. We therefore urge the WHO to address physical inactivity in its health and well-being implementation and monitoring plan, and we encourage Member States to implement the policy recommendations presented in the WHO’s Global Action Plan and the 2023 World Heart Federation policy brief, “More People, More Active, More Often for Heart Health”, to reduce ill effects of physical inactivity and foster healthier, more resilient populations.
