Incidence of Insufficient Physical Activity Among Adults and Its Relationship with the Human Development Index: A Global Study

Insufficient physical activity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, plays an important role in the spread of non-communicable diseases.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence of insufficient physical activity and its relationship with the human development index (HDI) in the world.

This is an ecological study, and the study data, including the human development index and the incidence of insufficient physical activity, were extracted from the World Bank’s database. The descriptive analysis included mean and standard deviation. The inferential analysis consisted of two-way correlation and ANOVA at a significance level of less than 0.05. The analyses were performed using Stata-14 software.

The highest incidence of insufficient physical activity in both sexes (39.26 [37.42, 40.95]) was found in the Americas, especially in high-income regions. There was a significant positive correlation between the incidence of insufficient physical inactivity and HDI in the world (r = 0.446, P < 0.0001). This correlation was also significant in Asia and Africa (P < 0.05). The results showed a positive correlation between components of HDI (i.e., gross national income per 1000 capita, mean years of schooling, life expectancy at birth, and expected years of schooling) and insufficient activity (P < 0.0001). The results of ANOVA also exhibited a significant relationship between the mean prevalence of physical inactivity and the level of development (P < 0.0001).

Given the significant correlation between the incidence of insufficient physical inactivity and HDI, understanding this correlation and its components, especially in low- and middle-income countries can alleviate the impact of physical inactivity epidemics in the future, thereby contributing to the effective global prevention of non-communicable diseases.