Global health agenda on non-communicable diseases: has WHO set a smart goal for physical activity?

As part of their Global Action Plan in 2013 to reduce the avoidable burden of non-communicable diseases the World Health Organization proposed a 25% relative reduction in the risk of premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases by 2025.1 The Global Action Plan recognised the importance of four risk factors in achieving this goal—smoking, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. WHO’s main goal regarding physical activity is to achieve a 10% relative reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity, which is defined as <150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, or equivalent, for adults aged 18 or over (box 1).

WHO’s policy focuses on the ideal goal of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, but here I argue that getting inactive people to do a little bit of physical activity, even if they don’t meet the recommendations, might provide greater population health gains.