(Press-News.org) The Lancet Global Health: Modelling suggests climate change could drive millions globally into physical inactivity by 2050 and be linked to an estimated half a million premature deaths
Rising temperatures due to climate change could drive millions more adults globally into physical inactivity by 2050, being linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in lost productivity, suggests a modelling study published in The Lancet Global Health journal.
Climate change is making the world hotter, and this growing heat is likely to affect how active people can be. Physical inactivity is already a major global health problem, with about one in three adults failing to meet World Health Organization guidelines for weekly exercise [1].
This study analysed data from 156 countries between 2000 and 2022 to model how rising temperatures may affect physical activity globally up to the year 2050. The model suggests that by 2050 each additional month with an average temperature above 27.8°C would increase physical inactivity by 1.5 percentage points globally and by 1.85 percentage points in low- and middle-income countries, but with no clear impact in high-income countries. This translates to a predicted 0.47–0.70 million additional premature deaths annually and US$ 2.40–3.68 billion in productivity losses.
The model predicts the biggest increase in inactivity to be hotter regions such as Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa, and Equatorial Southeast Asia, where inactivity could rise by more than 4 percentage points per month spent above 27.8°C. However, the authors highlight that these are modelled projections, based on self-reported activity surveys and also only account for temperature changes, and so there remains major uncertainty as to the exact real-world impacts.
The authors say their results suggest that action is needed to protect the public from rising heat, including designing cooler cities, providing affordable air-conditioned places to exercise, and giving clear advice on how to stay safe in extreme heat, as we all as reducing greenhouse gas emissions
1. https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/physical-activity/global-status-report-on-physical-activity-2022
END
The Lancet Global Health: Modelling suggests climate change could drive millions globally into physical inactivity by 2050 and be linked to an estimated half a million premature deaths
2026-03-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Fathers’ health crucial to improving pregnancy and child outcomes
2026-03-17
UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 23:30 UK TIME ON MONDAY 16 MARCH 2026
Fathers’ health crucial to improving pregnancy and child outcomes
Researchers say boys and men are an important but ‘persistently under-appreciated’ population for measures to improve the health of the next generation of children
Improving health and well-being of future fathers critical to addressing intergenerational disparities and legacies of racism
A focus on shared responsibility for pregnancy and parenthood ...
Major step towards a first global system to track health before pregnancy
2026-03-17
Under embargo to Monday 16 March 2026, 23:30 UK time
Peer reviewed / Survey
Major step towards a first global system to track health before pregnancy
The key health and social indicators needed for a new global system to monitor people’s health before pregnancy have been identified for the first time by researchers at University College London and the University of Southampton.
As more women are becoming pregnant with health conditions that can complicate pregnancy and childbirth, such as obesity, diabetes ...
Climate action could prevent over 13 million premature deaths, but equity choices matter for global health
2026-03-16
A new study published in The Lancet Global Health reveals a previously underappreciated tension at the heart of international climate negotiations: policies designed to protect developing countries from bearing an unfair share of the cost of cutting carbon emissions could inadvertently deprive those same countries of millions of life-saving air quality improvements. The leaders of the study also identify a promising way to resolve this dilemma.
The study, conducted by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, Emory University, Princeton University, and collaborators across six countries, modeled ...
Bull sharks have ‘friends’
2026-03-16
Bull sharks form social relationships with specific “friends”, new research reveals.
Sharks are often viewed as solitary, but the study – carried out on the Shark Reef Marine Reserve in Fiji – found that rather than mixing at random, sharks have “active social preferences” and choose their social partners.
The research was carried out by the University of Exeter, University of Lancaster, Fiji Shark Lab, and Beqa Adventure Divers.
“As humans we cultivate a range of social relationships – from casual acquaintances to our best friends, but we also actively avoid certain ...
New research shows how to diagnose people with Alzheimer’s plus a hard-to-identify dementia type
2026-03-16
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — People with Alzheimer’s disease often have other neurodegenerative conditions as well, including a less-understood disorder called frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). While a precise diagnosis of FTLD has only been possible during an autopsy, new research shows how clinicians may be able to diagnose people living with both Alzheimer’s and FTLD by evaluating neuropsychiatric symptoms.
In a study published in Neurology, researchers found that compared to patients who have either of the two types of dementia alone, having both Alzheimer’s disease and FTLD is associated with greater likelihood of having known neuropsychiatric symptoms ...
Large craters offer clues to the origin of asteroid 16 Psyche
2026-03-16
Even 200 years after asteroid 16 Psyche was discovered, astronomers continue to puzzle over its formation.
Psyche is the 10th-most massive asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the largest known metallic asteroid, at 140 miles in diameter. NASA's Psyche mission will arrive in 2029 to determine its origin. Psyche may be a leftover building block of an early planet, shredded by violent collisions, or a planetary fragment that once separated into layers before losing its rocky outer mantle.
Other hypotheses suggest Psyche is an ancient remnant that either started metal-rich ...
Researchers develop biochar-based photocatalyst that rapidly removes antibiotic pollutants from water
2026-03-16
A new study reports that a biochar-enhanced photocatalyst can efficiently degrade antibiotic contaminants in water, offering a promising strategy for addressing one of the growing threats to global water quality.
The research, published in the journal Biochar, describes the development of a ternary composite material composed of biochar, titanium dioxide, and graphitic carbon nitride. The material demonstrated remarkable ability to break down sulfadiazine, a widely used sulfonamide antibiotic that is frequently detected in aquatic environments.
Antibiotic pollution has become ...
ACP supports AAP’s evidence‑based childhood vaccine schedule
2026-03-16
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 16 March 2026
Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn
Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own ...
Half of Native Hawaiian University of Hawaiʻi students experience period poverty, study reveals
2026-03-16
Approximately 14% of college students across the United States experience period poverty – meaning they cannot afford to purchase or access menstrual products. A new study of 462 college students in the University of Hawai’i school system reveals that period poverty may be notably higher for this population.
Period poverty can be a heavy burden for college students. Prior research links insufficient access to safe hygiene products (ex., tampons, sanitary napkins, pads, menstrual cups) with mental health challenges, increased risk of urogenital infections ...
American College of Cardiology to host New Orleans Community Health Fair
2026-03-16
The American College of Cardiology will host the New Orleans Health Fair on Saturday, March 21, 2026, to promote cardiovascular wellness, early detection and equitable care in the community where ACC will host its Annual Scientific Session.
What: The New Orleans Health Fair, a free community screening event
When: Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT
Where: Treme Recreation Community Center, 900 N. Villere St., New Orleans, LA 70116
Who: The event is open to the public. Attending is especially important for anyone who has a family history or personal ...