And if, in the fight against obesity, it was necessary to start a large construction site of sports facilities, so that all the French have a gym in less than 30 minutes from home? This is what comes to mind when reading a study published on the website of the journal Lancet in December
According to the analysis of the researchers, adults over 40 years of age living within 1 kilometer of gyms, swimming pools and other sports grounds are thinner than the average population.
In reaching this conclusion, they analyzed the environment, the body mass index and waist circumference of 40,000 English between the ages of 40 to 70 years. Result: those with at least six sports facilities nearby have a waist size less than 1.22 cm and a body mass index of 0. .57 point lower.
The effect is more pronounced among women and people with high incomes. In France, three-quarters of short trips are done in passive mode, and 58 % of all trips less than 1 km away by car The researchers also analyzed the impact of fast food. Their proximity, however, seems to have less influence on the body and the waistline. “The results of our study suggest that increased access to sports equipment and, possibly, reduced access to fast food near residential areas could reduce overweight and obesity,” notes Kate Mason, of the school of hygiene and tropical medicine, london. This study has the merit to demonstrate scientifically that the living environment may be more or less “obesogenic “, as noted by the authors. Should we then multiply the sports equipment? Not so sure. “We can’t force the people to go to the gym. On the other hand, if we give them the opportunity to walk or bike, they will do it, ” says professor François Carré, a cardiologist at the CHU of Rennes. In France, three-quarters of short trips are done in passive mode, and 58 % of all trips less than 1 km away by car. With an unsettling situation: only 60 % of the French reach the goal of 30 minutes of physical activity per day, which can help combat being overweight, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers. “A child who doesn’t play sports will be an adult who doesn’t play sports” Professor François Carré, a cardiologist at the university hospital of Rennes at the same time, a sedentary lifestyle, other risk factor of the disease called non-communicable diseases, is constantly rising. In 2015, adults spent on average 6 hours and 35 minutes in sedentary activities, of which more than 5 hours in front of screens, according to a study by Esteban conducted by public Health, France.
In total, 17% of men and 22% of women have a combination of the two risk factors. Worse, less than a quarter of youth aged 6 to 17 years to reach 60 minutes of physical activity recommended. “Gold, a child who doesn’t play sports will be an adult who doesn’t play sports,” cautions professor François Carré. Before you launch a great site of sports equipment, it may be to find how to engage young people and less young people to attend the ones that exist.