Global burden of cardiovascular diseases attributed to low physical activity: An analysis of 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2019

Abstract

Background: Low physical activity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aimed to estimate the global, regional, national, and sex-age-specific burden of CVDs attributed to low physical activity from 1990 to 2019.

Methods: We leveraged data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to compute the number of fatalities, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), age-adjusted mortality rates (ASMR), and age-adjusted DALY rates (ASDR) attributed to CVDs resulting from low physical activity. Furthermore, we scrutinized the trends and correlations of these metrics in connection with the socio-demographic index (SDI) across 21 regions and 204 countries and territories.

Results: The global deaths and DALYs due to CVDs caused by low physical activity increased from 371,042.96 [95 % UI: 147,621.82-740,490] and 6,282,524.95 [95 % UI: 2,334,970.61-13,255,090.08] in 1990 to 639,174.92 [95 % UI: 272,011.34-1,216,528.4] and 9,996,080.17 [95 % UI: 4,130,111.16-20,323,339.89] in 2019, respectively. The corresponding ASMR and ASDR decreased from 12.55 [95 % UI: 5.12-24.23] and 181.64 [95 % UI: 71.59-374.01] in 1990 to 8.6 [95 % UI: 3.68-16.28] and 127.52 [95 % UI: 53.07-256.55] in 2019, respectively. Deaths and DALYs attributed to low physical activity were initially higher in males but shifted to females after 70-74 age group. Both genders had increasing death rates, peaking at 80-84 age group. Most CVDs deaths and DALYs number are caused by ischemic heart disease. The highest burden of CVDs attributed to low physical activity was observed in North Africa and the Middle East. The lowest burden was observed in Oceania and High-income Asia Pacific. There was a distinctive 'n-shape' relationship between the regional SDI and the ASDR of CVDs attributed to low physical activity from 1990 to 2019.

Conclusion: The global impact of CVDs stemming from low physical activity remains substantial and demonstrates substantial regional disparities. As individuals age, this burden becomes more prominent, particularly among females. Efficacious interventions are imperative to promote physical activity and mitigate the risk of CVDs across diverse populations and regions.

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Disability-adjusted life years; Global burden of disease; Low physical activity.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

The deaths number (A), DALYs number (B), ASMR per 100,000 population (C), ASDR per 100,000 population (D) of cardiovascular diseases attributed to low physical activity by sex, 1990–2019. ASMR = age-standardised mortality rate; ASDR = age-standardised DALYs rate; DALYs = disability-adjusted life years.

Fig. 2

Global distribution of cardiovascular diseases attributed to low physical activity burden in terms of deaths (A), ASMR (B) and ASDR (C) in 2019. ASMR = age-standardized mortality rate; ASDR = age-standardized DALYs rate; DALY= disability-adjusted life year.

Fig. 3

Global number of deaths and death rate (A) and global number of DALYs and DALY rate per 100,000 population (B) of cardiovascular diseases attributed to low physical activity by age and sex in 2019. DALY, disability-adjusted life years.

Fig. 4

Deaths (A) and DALYs (B) from ischemic heart disease, stroke, and all-age population attributable fractions of cardiovascular illnesses related to inadequate physical activity in 1990 and 2019 by global burden of disease area. DALYs = Disability-Adjusted Life Years.

Fig. 5

Age-standardised DALY rates (ASDR) of cardiovascular diseases attributed to low physical activity for 21 GBD regions by Socio-demographic Index, 1990–2019. Expected values based on Socio-demographic Index and disease rates in all locations are shown as the black line. DALY=disability-adjusted life-year; GBD=Global Burden of Diseases.