240,000 Nigerians Die Annually From Physical Inactivity
No fewer than 240,000 Nigerians die annually as a result of physical inactivity, Dr. Babatunde Adegoke, an Associate Professor of Physiotherapy, said, yesterday in Abeokuta.
Adegoke who is of the Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, made this disclosure at a lecture organised by the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, NSP, Ogun chapter.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the lecture, which has the theme “The Aging Process, Disease and Physical Activity”, was organised to mark the 2013 World Physiotherapy Day.
The don, who expressed concern over the prevalence of chronic diseases in the country, attributed the cause of the deaths to failure of many Nigerians to engage in regular physical activities.
He said,
Insufficient physical activity and sedentary lifestyle have been identified as one of the leading causes of chronic diseases. About 15 per cent of the 1.6 million chronic health conditions that are newly diagnosed every year are caused by sedentary lifestyle alone, independent of other risk factors.
Physical activity encompasses exercise, walking, working, sports and day-to-day activities. However, exercise, which is a subset of physical activity, is more focused, planned and structured. Each hour spent walking reduces the risk of developing obesity by 25 per cent and diabetes by 35 per cent
Adegoke urged Nigerians to engage in regular physical activities. He said 150 minutes of moderate but intensified physical activity weekly, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensified physical activity per week, are required to stay fit and healthy.
In his address, the Acting Provost/CMD, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro in Abeokuta, Dr Timothy Adebowale, said it was erroneous to think that physiotherapy is only meant for obese or sick people.
Adebowale, who was represented by Dr Abolagade Amoo, a Consultant Physiotherapist, explained that working and sweating is not a form of exercise as believed in most quarters.
“It is important to exercise. But it should not be just to exercise. Rather, it should be a target exercise for at least 30 minutes a day,” he said.
Source: Vanguard Nigeria