Original story

Medimedia 6.12.2016

Telecommuting and virtual entertainment reducing Westerners’ physical condition to alarming levels

Teleworking, virtutainment, and other lifestyle factors reducing natural exercise have already seriously affected the physical health of Westerners, according to a WHO study.

The 400-screen WHO report finds that the physical performance of women over the age of 35 in Western countries has declined by some 10% in the last five years, and in men the fall is still greater, at nearly 14%.

Although on the surface these figures do not seem unduly alarming, the WHO considers the change to be a dramatic and worrying one. Whilst experts have long predicted a worsening in our overall physical condition, it has happened a lot more quickly than forecast.

The reason for the acceleration is the almost all-encompassing change in lifestyles that has swept over men and women in the developed world, and affects us both in our work and leisure activities. More and more people today are working from home, sitting or reclining in multimedia chairs. An ever increasing amount of our daily movement from place to place occurs on escalators or moving walkways, and not by actual walking. The old traditional leisuretime hobbies such as jogging, soccer or golf have been replaced in many cases by sedentary virtual experiences.

The worsening state of our bodies is already shown up in illness and disability statistics, from where it will soon spill over into the national economies. The conclusions of the WHO report stress it is essential for governments and international organizations to address the problem over the next decade, making improvements in physical condition one of the key priorities for the 2020s.

Toteuma-arvio 2026

Toteuma lyhyesti

  • Ilmiön toteuma: 5/5
  • Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: kyllä; arviointi-ikkuna on 2011–2021
  • Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: kyllä, erittäin vahvasti
  • Ilmiön ydin: etätyö ja digitaalinen viihde vähentävät arkiliikuntaa ja heikentävät väestön fyysistä kuntoa.

Istumatyö, ruutuaika ja etätyö ovat keskeisiä vähäisen liikkumisen syitä, ja terveysviranomaiset varoittavat niiden vaikutuksista sydän-, aineenvaihdunta- ja tuki- ja liikuntaelinterveyteen. Pandemia vielä vahvisti kehitystä aikaikkunan lopussa.

Johtopäätös: ennuste toteutui erittäin vahvasti ja oikeassa aikaikkunassa.