ObjectivesTo describe new WHO 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour.MethodsThe guidelines were developed in accordance with WHO protocols. An expert Guideline Development Group reviewed evidence to assess associations between physical activity and sedentary behaviour for an agreed set of health outcomes and population groups. The assessment used and systematically updated recent relevant systematic reviews; new primary reviews addressed additional health outcomes or subpopulations.ResultsThe new guidelines address children, adolescents, adults, older adults and include new specific recommendations for pregnant and postpartum women and people living with chronic conditions or disability. All adults should undertake 150–300 min of moderate-intensity, or 75–150 min of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or some equivalent combination of moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, per week. Among children and adolescents, an average of 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity across the week provides health benefits. The guidelines recommend regular muscle-strengthening activity for all age groups. Additionally, reducing sedentary behaviours is recommended across all age groups and abilities, although evidence was insufficient to quantify a sedentary behaviour threshold.ConclusionThese 2020 WHO guidelines update previous WHO recommendations released in 2010. They reaffirm messages that some physical activity is better than none, that more physical activity is better for optimal health outcomes and provide a new recommendation on reducing sedentary behaviours. These guidelines highlight the importance of regularly undertaking both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities and for the first time, there are specific recommendations for specific populations including for pregnant and postpartum women and people living with chronic conditions or disability. These guidelines should be used to inform national health policies aligned with the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030 and to strengthen surveillance systems that track progress towards national and global targets.

Background In July, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) commenced work to update the 2010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health and established a Guideline Development Group (GDG) comprising expert public health scientists and practitioners to inform the drafting of the 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior. The overall task of the GDG was to review the scientific evidence and provide expert advice to the WHO on the amount of physical activity and sedentary behavior associated with optimal health in children and adolescents, adults, older adults (> 64 years), and also specifically in pregnant and postpartum women and people living with chronic conditions or disabilities. Methods The GDG reviewed the available evidence specific to each sub-population using systematic protocols and in doing so, identified a number of gaps in the existing literature. These proposed research gaps were discussed and verified by expert consensus among the entire GDG. Results Evidence gaps across population sub-groups included a lack of information on: 1) the precise shape of the dose-response curve between physical activity and/or sedentary behavior and several of the health outcomes studied; 2) the health benefits of light-intensity physical activity and of breaking up sedentary time with light-intensity activity; 3) differences in the health effects of different types and domains of physical activity (leisure-time; occupational; transportation; household; education) and of sedentary behavior (occupational; screen time; television viewing); and 4) the joint association between physical activity and sedentary time with health outcomes across the life course. In addition, we acknowledge the need to conduct more population-based studies in low- and middle-income countries and in people living with disabilities and/or chronic disease, and to identify how various sociodemographic factors (age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status) modify the health effects of physical activity, in order to address global health disparities. Conclusions Although the 2020 WHO Guidelines for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior were informed by the most up-to-date research on the health effects of physical activity and sedentary time, there is still substantial work to be done in advancing the global physical activity agenda.

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It has been estimated that more than half of the world's population is below the age of 25 years. At the end of the year 2001, there were 2 billion teenagers on the planet, more than there have ever been in the history of mankind.1 In an era of increasing technological access and rapid innovation, the potential of this population is unbounded. However, if we fail to nurture their health, education, hopes and skills, their destabilizing effects on the political, social and economic systems could be immense.Childrens' health has improved steadily over the past several decades. Children who in the past would have died in infancy are surviving into childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. However, the changing social, economic and political conditions both locally and globally, impose multiple threats and impairments to their physical, mental and social health.The interaction between health and education has a major impact on the development and well-being of children. School achievement is affected by children's health, and health is affected by what children learn and do at school. Healthy habits can be taught in the classroom, modeled by teachers, and learned from peers. In addition, the child's health can be adversely affected by the negative physical and emotional environment of the school, and by the lack of nutritional and physical education programs. 2,3More children than ever before are attending schools, and for longer periods of their lives. Since the school years are a formative period in the child's development, the school is responsible for providing efficient means of improving the child's health, self esteem, behavior, and life skills (abilities related to effective decision-making, communication, understanding emotions, critical thinking, coping with stress, etc). Schools also provide a place where interventions of many specific diseases can efficiently and economically be implemented. Therefore, in every nation, schools could do more than perhaps any other single institution to improve the well-being and competence of the young generation. In addition, schools can also provide the setting to introduce health information to the community and, can lead the community by advocating policies and activities that promote health.

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