India must get more active. Here is a plan
If India wants to reap its demographic dividend and boost its economic growth by India@100, we need to ensure that every individual is physically active by 2047
Seventy per cent of deaths across the world are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including 15 million premature deaths of people between 30 and 69 years. Is there a way for us to reduce the number of people contracting NCDs and dying prematurely? Yes — by increasing physical activity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency of the United States (US), 110,000 deaths could be prevented every year in the country if people over 40 years engaged in 10 more minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise.
Let that sink in — being active for 10 extra minutes could reduce premature deaths.
Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of several NCDs, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, depression, hypertension, certain cancers and obesity. Studies have also established that exercise (in any form) can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, increase lifespan, enhance a sense of well-being and community, and increase productivity. It is a low-cost investment with a significantly positive ripple effect.
NCDs are projected to result in a $47 trillion loss to the global economy between 2010-2030. The annual spend on health care services in the US due to inactivity alone is $117 billion, according to CDC.
In India, a preliminary study undertaken by the Sports and Society Accelerator and Dalberg Advisors conservatively estimates that the elimination of physical inactivity by 2047 could raise India’s Gross Domestic Product by up to $50 billion annually.
If India wants to be a healthy and developed nation by its centennial year, then we must ensure that every individual, regardless of age, gender and socioeconomic background, gets enough physical activity. One can choose from myriad options that they enjoy: Yoga, sports, swimming, dancing, or even just taking a brisk walk. The idea is to move; it’s that simple!
How do we ensure that everyone is physically active? By working with stakeholders at every level in the ecosystem: From government officials at the central, state, and district levels; to urban planners who can build better cities that encourage physical activity; to multilateral organisations that can help build a knowledge repository of adaptable measures; and to civil society organisations that can deploy physical activity programmes.
We need data to understand the challenges in accessing physical activity and sports by different demographics. This will influence policies and determine the nature of interventions required to make physical activity more accessible. This will also serve as a starting point for tracking progress.
We need to design contextual policies and interventions that keep India’s sociocultural fabric, geography, and economics front and centre. Delivering change at scale and low-cost will require innovation, experimentation and customisation to context. We will also have to build the knowledge and delivery capacity that helps bridge the last-mile challenges many people face in accessing a physically active life.
While there are a few studies, we need more evidence that dives into how physical activity helps individuals, firms and organisations, and, importantly, a nation’s economy.
Significant work has been done by the Government of India to widen the opportunity for sport and physical activity interventions and take it from the elite to the grassroots. Fit India has also been an enabling movement, which can be further built upon. In fact, the G20 presidency is the perfect time for such a movement to be truly universalised, at both the central and state levels. Having said that, the cause also needs the private sector to jump in and champion it.
The positive impact of physical activity on brain health, academic outcomes, and, of course, reduction of diseases are well documented but not widely known; public outreach on the importance of physical activity is also crucial. If India wants to reap its demographic dividend and boost its economic growth by India@100, we need to ensure that every individual is physically active by 2047. It’s not a matter of choice.
Ashish Dhawan is founder-CEO of The Convergence Foundation, and Desh Gaurav Sekhri is co-founder, Sports and Society Accelerator. The views expressed are personal
