Solution
Dr. Saloni answered on
Apr 08 2022
2
Physical Inactivity in Australia
Contents
Introduction 1
Public Health Issues 1
Vulnerable Population 2
Implications for Health Equity 2
Key Players 3
Strategies and Actions 3
Conclusion 4
References 4
Introduction
Physical activity is the movement of the body that utilises energy and is performed by skeletal muscles. Physical inactivity is a driving force for the development of chronic illnesses. Cardiovascular disease, impaired glucose tolerance, dementia, and osteoporosis are all more prevalent in individuals who are not physically active adequately (Amini et al., 2021). Physical activity boosts the immune system, enhances musculoskeletal and mental wellbeing, and lowers other potential risks, including being obese or overweight, having high blood pressure, and having high cholesterol. In Australia, physical inactivity is a major contributor to the illness burden. Australians must attain adequate activity levels since they have a role in chronic illnesses (Nau et al., 2019).
This paper focuses on the nature and context of physical inactivity in Australia, vulnerable groups, implications for health equity, key players, strategies, and actions concerning physical inactivity in Australia.
Public Health Issues
Physical inactivity has been responsible for 2.5 percent of Australia's total illness burden in 2015. Individual illness burden from uterine cancer, diabetes, dementia, bowel cancer, coronary heart disease,
east cancer, and stroke was 10–20 percent due to physical inactivity. Sedentary behaviour affects more than 50 percent of all Australians. For a range of factors, such as poor health, injuries, and inadequate time, several Australians remain inactive. Due to the general nature of their professions and the length of screen time people have, many spend plenty of time lounging or sitting around. Nearly 50 percent of working professionals (44%) spend the majority of the workday sitting (Wilson et al., 2018).
Furthermore, more than one-fourth of the world's adults (28 percent, or 1.4 billion individuals) have been physically inactive, according to new research. In some counties, however, one out of every three adults is inactive. COVID-19 has established further ba
iers to physical activity, particularly in organised sports. Due to health issues and constraints – such as school closures, gymnasium shutdowns, as well as lockdowns – Australians have had to alter their physical activity levels and regularity. This has had the greatest impact on children. According to a study, while nearly three out of four adults expected to remain active towards 2020, merely one out of every six children did so (Rosenbaum et al., 2018).
Vulnerable Population
Individual traits as well as the social context impact physical activity habits. Whether or not a human is physically inactive is determined by demographic factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic factors such as income and education (Wilson et al., 2018). Violence, reduced air quality, high-density traffic, pollution, and a dearth of parks, walkways, and recreational facilities are all causes of environmental factors that may deter people from engaging in physical exercise as a consequence of enhanced u
anisation. As a corollary, u
an populations have more roadways, vehicles, and road transport than rural populations do, and this reduces biking and walking for transportation and recreation. Their neighbourhoods are more densely packed, and they have limited outdoor leisure areas (Woessner et al., 2021).
Moreover, they provide more exposure to beverage and food marketing through mainstream media, which has the potential to change individual preferences apart from traditional meals. Finally, u
an areas have a higher proportion of inactive professions (including production and...