All around the world, people are becoming more less physically active. And that growing sedentary lifestyle has real health consequences.
Researchers say physical inactivity is to blame for 1 out of 10 deaths globally, about the same rate as deaths caused by smoking.
A new study in the medical journal The Lancet found that levels of physical activity roughly track patterns of development—people in higher income countries were the least active, with those in the UK and the US among the worst.
But they have plenty of company. The researchers surveyed 122 countries and ranked them by level of exercise, and the top three are somewhat surprising.
So that’s today’s Geo Quiz: what are the three countries on that list that are the most slothful?
One is a Mediterranean nation, one is in Africa and the third is in the Middle East. In all three, close to 70 percent of adults aren’t getting enough exercise.
The answers are Malta, Swaziland and Saudi Arabia.
Anchor Marco Werman talks to contributing researcher Gregory Heath from the University of Tennessee.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!