4 in 5 adolescents, 1 in 4 adults do not do enough physical activity, World Health Organization suggests
After suggesting that 4 in 5 adolescents and 1 in 4 adults do not do enough physical activity, the World Health Organization announced a partnership with soccer legend Didier Drogba to promote its guidance on the benefits of physical activity and other healthy lifestyles as well as highlight the value of sports, especially for youth.
“I am honored to team up with the World Health Organization and support its work to help people reach the highest level of health possible, especially young people in all countries,” Drogba said according to a press release from the WHO. “I have benefited first hand from the power of sports to lead a healthy life and I am committed to working with WHO to share such gains worldwide.”
A lack of physical activity also negatively impacts health systems, the environment, economic development, community well-being and quality of life, WHO said. Regular physical activity, including sports, can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and various types of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer.
Drogba, of Côte d’Ivoire, will serve as WHO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Sport and Health. He is known for his career in the Premier League with Chelsea and as a two-time African Footballer of the Year, according to the press release. He has also participated in several campaigns for healthy lifestyles as well as for disease prevention and control.
Drogba joins other WHO ambassadors including champion Brazilian soccer player Alisson Becker, Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of the City of New York, Cynthia Germanotta, president of the Born This Way Foundation and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, according to the release.
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