WHO Physical Activity Guidelines Address Sedentary Behaviors

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

More time spent sedentary is associated with adverse health outcomes, and children and adults should limit their sedentary time, according to new guidelines on physical activity from the World Health Organization. This is the first time the group has specifically addressed the issue.

The group said there was not enough evidence to determine a cutoff for the amount of sedentary time, including screen time, but replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity is associated with health benefits.

For adults, the group recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination per week, although more activity is encouraged. Previous guidelines only recommended a minimum amount of time. Adults should do muscle-strengthening activity involving all major muscle groups at least 2 days a week. All adults aged 65 and older should do multicomponent physical activities that focus on functional balance and strength training at least three times a week. Previously, this recommendation only applied to those with poor mobility.

There are also now specific recommendations for pregnant and postpartum women.

In addition, the new guidelines no longer say that bouts of activity should last at least 10 minutes.