Physical activity hasn't increased globally in 20 years

Nine out of 10 countries have goals for increasing the amount of exercise their populations get. But globally, the percentage of people who meet recommendations for physical activity has not increased. That's partly because, while being inactive has similar detrimental health impacts as smoking, it's not a political priority to reverse the problem. Earlier this year, Host Carolyn Beeler spoke with Andrea Ramirez Varela. She's an epidemiologist at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and has been looking into why this is the case.

This story originally aired on March 10, 2026.