The article offers comprehensive coverage of Physical Activity (PA) levels in the United States and globally. The data contains some interesting facts on how energy levels are utilized among different population groups globally. Nonetheless, the most surprising data that caught my eye was that as mothers’ physical Activity and energy expenditure in the United States has decreased since 1965, the graph has flattened out on mothers with children above five but less or equal to 18. However, the graph differed for mothers with children less than five years. The energy levels for mothers at this age dropped a bit from 1965, but in the last decade of the century, the energy level expenditure of the mothers has continued to rise. The peculiar change was the most surprising thing I encountered in the article; it could mean so much in the Physical Activity field.
Contrastingly, the least surprising thing was the reluctance of people to engage in leisure time Physical Activities globally. Through research by the world health organization, it was apparent that individuals appear to be more occupied and tend to choose leisure activities that spend the least energy. This did not surprise me since it would be easy to develop hobby or leisure activity levels online with the technology we have at our disposal. Further, there is a high probability of finding friends online.
An explanation for the Trends
I believe with the technology in the world today, people are less motivated to engage in Physical Activity, which an individual spends a lot of energy on. Through plenty of information found online, the majority choose to pursue information from these unverified sites. Thus majority are misguided and choose to use alternative methods which they find pleasing to burn calories rather than follow recommendations by the world health organization. Besides, people are thrilled by different activities these days compared to previous years. According to von Loeffelholz & Birkenfeld (2018), Population-based physical activity levels have decreased in recent years, paralleled by an increment in sedentary behavior. In the past, sporting events encouraged kids who dreamt of becoming top personalities in the future. These days children dream of different accomplishments. They are obsessed with online games and would rather watch football matches than be out there on the field. This leads to reduced energy levels spent on Physical Activities. Ultimately a section also finds it easier to watch their diet than participate in physical activities. Their unwillingness to participate in physical exercises is replicated globally as they put their goals ahead of such activities. They lack the education to understand the importance of these physical exercises.
How to Combat the decreasing Levels
The decreasing levels of physical Activities can be addressed by massive public education. Using the diverse media sources at the health department’s disposal, they should spread the message for the majority to understand the importance of physical activities. Using data such as the increasing obesity levels in the United States, the media should play a critical role in warning the public. Additionally, introducing a culture of physical Activity as part of the school curriculum could be an option. Teachers are influential and play an important role in initiating activities in their learning (D’Elia et al., 2018). Moreover, grading students and introducing honors to those who excel in physical activities would have increased participation in these institutions.
References
D’Elia, F., Mazzeo, F., & Raiola, G. (2018). The core curriculum in the university training of the teacher of physical education in Italy.
von Loeffelholz, C., & Birkenfeld, A. (2018). The Role of Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis in Human Obesity. In K. R. Feingold (Eds.) et. al., Endotext. MDText.com, Inc.
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