Lounging around in front of the TV with little to no exercise seems to be the modern way of life today, and Greeks seem to be adopting a tendency toward a sedentary lifestyle leading to obesity.
This data was presented after a study was conducted by the Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity from the department of Nutrition, Dietetics of Thessaloniki, and the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The study was published for the occasion “Week Against Obesity” which took place from October 19 to 26.
The study is entitled “Association of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle patterns with obesity and cardiometabolic comorbidities in Greek adults: Data from the National Epidemiological Survey,” is the first study that used a representative sample taken from a number of Greek subjects. The study revealed that the walking helps lower risk of obesity in adults, especially in men, and at the same time, shows that regular exercise is associated with the lower risk of having cardio-metabolic problems, such as the hypertension.
However, the habits of the Greeks seem to move to the opposite direction. The following results on survey conducted with 17,887 men and women, aged 20–70 years, are really disappointing:
Approximately 37% of participants indicated that they walk less than two hours a week.
• 90% of participants exercised less than two hours a week.
• When analyzed variables of sedentary life, 37.9% of participants reported they are watching TV more than 16 hours per week and 20.5% subjects (24.5% men, 16.9% women) are working in an office job for more than 14 hours a week.
The report went on with statistics showing that walking and regular exercise are without a doubt, beneficial for combating obesity. Adopting an active way of life is essential for leading a healthy lifestyle; aside from incorporating regular exercise in our daily life routine, we can also benefit from increasing activities outside the home and playing sports.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
