Do people meet the global recommended level of physical activity? An investigation in Northern Italy

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in non-communicable disease prevention and management. World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines suggest practicing at least 150-300 minutes of moderate PA, or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous PA per week. Despite this knowledge, most of the people worldwide do not meet these guidelines. Current global estimates evidence that one in four adults do not reach the minimum amount of PA recommended. METHODS: The aim of this study was to assess PA levels, moderate and vigorous, as well as the sitting time among adults in Segrate (Milan, Italy) and in the surrounding areas of Northern Italy, in order to evaluate their adherence to the WHO guidelines. A total of 511 people, above 18 years old, completed the questionnaire to assess sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity levels. RESULTS: Results evidenced that most responders, regardless of age, do not reach the minimum amount of PA recommended, both moderate and vigorous. This lack of adherence increases with age: 94.1% of people over 76 do not reach the guidelines either for moderate or vigorous activity. CONCLUSIONS: This observational study confirms that despite all the recommendations of the WHO and of several other national agencies, the population in general, the workers and the oldest people in particular, do not reach the minimum amount of PA recommended. This highlights the urgent need to find new strategies to implement the practice of physical activity.