Physical Activity and Health in Australia: A Comprehensive Study

This presentation examines the critical need for increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviors among Australians, addressing the current health patterns and activity levels. It establishes a clear relationship between sedentary lifestyles and adverse health outcomes, including obesity, cardiovascular disorders, and other chronic diseases, supported by statistical data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The presentation emphasizes the importance of physical activity in reducing disease burden, improving muscle strength, and bone density. It also highlights health behavior strategies, such as motivational interviewing and the trans-theoretical approach, to encourage lifestyle changes. Furthermore, it provides recommended physical activity levels, including both moderate and vigorous aerobic activities, and discusses the benefits of strength training. The presentation concludes by reinforcing the need for active lifestyles to prevent weight gain and chronic disorders, thereby improving the quality of life. References are provided in APA format.

Why should Australians increase physical
activity levels and curb sedentary behaviours

Immediate impacts of physical inactivity and
sedentary lifestyle
Obesity and overweight in the nation
• health issues of overweight and obesity mainly describe the health
conditions when individuals are found to be possessing fat to an abnormal
extent (Sink et al., 2015)
• increases chances of complications like cardiovascular disorders, diabetes,
hypercholesterimia, osteoarthritis and others

Physical activities and sedentary lifestyle
• In order to avoid health complications, it becomes extremely important
for every individual to undertake physical activities and exercises and
replace sedentary behavior by active lifestyles.
• physical activities and being active results in burning huge amount of
calories
• will prevent accumulation of the calories and prevent obesity

Important statistics:
• Australian bureau of statistics are of the opinion that about 56% of the
adults in the nation in the year 2014-2015 were not found to be
sufficiently physically active.
• In the same year, about 52% of the adults belonging to the age cohort of
18-64 were not physically active where 54% of the females and 51% of the
males were found to be not sufficiently active (Gibbs et al., 2015).

Importance of physical activity:
• Insufficient activities has been found to be the one of the largest risk
factor for disease burden in the nation (Desperes, 2016)
• physical activity helps in the reduction of the risk of different chronic
health conditions
• improve the muscle strength and bone density and also protecting against
osteoporosis and injuries

Impact of sedentary behaviors on the nation:
• The Australian Health survey in the year 2014-2015 stated that about 30%
of the adults had been found to be engaged in low level of physical
activities accounting to less than 150 minutes in the last week while 14.8%
of the people were found to be inactive where the people had conducted
no exercises at all.
• Similar proportions of females accounting to 14.4 % and males 15.2% had
been found to be inactive and leading sedentary lifestyles (Hynynen et al.,
2016).
• About 1 in 3 children and young people belonging to the age cohort of 5
to 17 had been found to meet the “no more than 2 hours of screen-based
entertainment” everyday.

Behavioral strategies
• The healthcare professionals can undertake health change strategies like”
• Motivational interviewing
• Trans-theoretical approach

Difference between sedentary lifestyle and
physical inactivity:
• Striking difference between physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle
• physically inactive” means that the individuals are not enough physically
active
• sedentary” means that the individuals are sitting or lying for a long period
of time

Reduction of the time which is spent being
sedentary:
• standing rather than sitting in the public transport
• Taking the staircase instead of the elevator
• include taking a walk or standing up during coffee breaks
• spending more and more time doing chores

Average adult exercises required everyday:
• 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity
• 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activities per week
• Being active for shorter periods of time but throughout the day, result in
adding up to the health benefits

Strength training:
• Undertaking strength training exercises
• aim in performing a single set of each exercise along with using a weight
or resistance level that should be heavy enough for tiring of the muscles
• exercising more than 300 minutes or more a week can result in high
health benefits

Conclusion:
• physical inactive life and sedentary lifestyle results in weight gain and
hence overweight or obesity
• these lead to major chronic disorders with higher mental, physical and
financial pressures
• it is important for undertaking proper physical activities and active
lifestyles’
• it would help in burning of calories and help in being in a fitter shape
thereby reducing chances of living poor quality life