Main environment-related health problems
Being overweight and obesity
The data
In Catalonia, according to the Health Survey of Catalonia (2019), more than half of the population over 18 is overweight (42.6 % of men and 28.3 % of women). Specifically, 35.4 % are overweight (with a greater incidence in men) and 16.7 % are obese (similar for both sexes).
Being overweight and obesity increase in the higher age groups, in both sexes. The percentage of the population that is overweight or obese is greater in the less-privileged social classes and those with less years of schooling, in both men and women but especially in the female population.
In the case of children, 34.6 % of children aged 6 to 12 are overweight (24.4 % are overweight and 10.1 % is obese). Being overweight affects boys and girls to an equal degree, while obesity affects boys (13.8 %) more than girls (6.4 %).
Being overweight and obesity are risk factors for an extensive range of diseases and health problems (high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, coronary artery diseases, certain types of cancer and other chronic diseases).
Risk factors
It is considered that 99% of the factors behind the significant increase in the obesity ratios in adults and children are related with the environment. The main cause of obesity in children is the growing availability and consumption of unhealthy foods (snacks and fast food), low consumption of fruit and vegetables, and a high intake of soft drinks as regards eating habits, and the decrease in physical activity.
Even though the effects of diet and physical activity on health are interrelated, physical activity may be beneficial independently of dietary habits. According to the World Health Organization [1] [2], physical activity reduces the risk of obesity and suffering cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, bowel and breast cancer, and depression. However, 60% of the population does not perform the minimum daily quantity of physical activity required to obtain health benefits.
According to data from the 2019 Health Survey of Catalonia (ESCA), eight out of ten people aged 15 to 69 have a level of physical activity that can be considered healthy (84.4 % of men and 79.8 % of women).
Upon analysis by age groups, women show similar percentages of sedentary lifestyles in all age groups, while in men, it is highest in the 45-64 age group. The percentage of sedentary women is higher than that of men between 18 and 44 and between 65 and 74.
Healthy physical activity of the population aged 15 to 69, measured as the sum of moderate or intense physical activity using the IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) is 70.5% (72.1% in men and 68.8% in women).
31.4 % of the population aged 3 to 14 has an active lifestyle (more than an hour of sports or games in public spaces). The frequency of such activities is higher in boys than in girls (35.1% boys and 27.6% girls).
There are several reasons for the lack of physical activity. The growing use of vehicles, with a significant reduction in the number of people who walk or cycle, and the change made by computers, video games and television to people's lifestyles, have favoured more sedentary behaviours.
According to the ESCA, watching TV is the most common activity among the population aged 3 to 14 in their leisure time, and outside of school hours, almost all children watch it every day.
Recommendations
The urban environment is related consistently with physical activity; it is precisely this environment's characteristics that determine accessibility to facilities for practising physical exercise, as well as inducing people to walk more. The LARES[3] survey provides evidence that the residential environment and its quality are related with physical activity. This trend persists after adjusting the study for a number of variables that also influence physical activity, such as socioeconomic status, age and gender, and it shows that the quality of the residential area has a direct impact on physical exercise and health.
Therefore, greater emphasis must be placed on measures aimed at modifying the environment to make it easier to perform physical activities (Aladino Study. Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality 2011), from increasing the number of urban itineraries and cycle lanes to improving public transport, to mention the most significant, although they are not the only ones, as we will see in the various areas of action.
Steps should also be taken to increase accessibility to healthy foods in public spaces and amenities.
