KUWAIT: The director of the Health Promotion Department at the Ministry of Health, Dr Abeer Al-Bahwa, announced that the percentage of physical inactivity among adults in Kuwait, according to a recent statistic, has increased to about 67 percent and to 84 percent among adolescents aged 11 to 17 years. Dr Al-Bahwa said in her speech during a training course organized by the department on Sunday in cooperation with the primary care department at the Ministry that the course aims to spread the concept of promoting physical activity and the dissemination of guidelines to encourage and enhance physical activity.

She said that the guide has been updated in Arabic and English in order to spread the necessary health awareness to all segments of society and all ages, noting that physical inactivity is one of the risk factors and causative agent of chronic non-communicable diseases. She pointed out that the course reviews all health requirements to encourage and promote physical activity. She said that the benefits of regular physical activity include reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several cancers, such as breast cancer and colon cancer, and it also improves mental health, sleep, and quality of life.

The World Health Organization’s sustainable development plans aim to reduce physical inactivity by 15 percent by 2030, and recommendations include that all countries implement national public education and awareness campaigns — creating suitable environments for physical activity, such as encouraging the practice of sports for all segments of society. — KUNA