In a new study, researchers found that at least 3.9 million early deaths are being averted worldwide every year by people being physically active.
The research was conducted by a team at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.
Research into lifestyle factors such as lack of physical activity, poor diet, drinking alcohol, and smoking, tends to focus on the harm these do to health.
This helps create a narrative to try and prevent and reduce these behaviors.
In their study, the team used a number known as the Prevented Fraction for the Population—in this case, the proportion of deaths that were prevented because people are physically active.
The team looked at previously published data for 168 countries, on the proportion of the population meeting World Health Organization global recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity throughout the week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination.
The proportion of the population meeting the recommended amount of physical activity varied substantially between countries, from 33% for Kuwait to 64% for the United Kingdom, to 94% for Mozambique.
They found that globally, due to physical activity the number of premature deaths was an average of 15% lower than it would have been—14% for women and 16% for men—equating to approximately 3.9 million lives saved per year.
The positive contribution of physical activity was remarkably consistent across the globe, with a broad trend towards a greater proportion of premature deaths averted for low- and middle-income countries.
In low-income countries, an average of 18% of premature deaths was averted compared to 14% for high-income countries.
In the U.S., 140,200 early deaths were prevented annually and in the UK 26,600.
Health experts often frame the debate in terms of the number of early deaths due to lack of physical activity, estimating that 3.2 million die prematurely each year.
But the researchers say that by showing how many deaths are averted, it might also be possible to frame the debate in a positive way and this could have benefits to advocacy, policy, and population messaging.
One author of the study is Dr. Paul Kelly from the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh.
The study is published in The Lancet Global Health.
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