Physical inactivity is a global crisis, but a solution emerges

Physical activity has long been recognized as one of the most effective methods to prevent physical declines and chronic conditions. However, a news release from the World Health Organization on June 26 illustrates that it is drastically underutilized, with the full benefits remaining out of reach for much of the global population:

“The global estimate of the cost of physical inactivity to public health care systems between 2020 and 2030 is about US$ 300 billion if levels of physical inactivity are not reduced.”

This is a fairly conservative number. A 2023 Lancet study estimates that INT$520 billion worldwide in direct healthcare costs will be incurred by 2030 from almost 500 million new cases of major chronic conditions, so long as the level of physical activity remains unchanged. For example, 1 in 3 older adults falls and injures themselves each year, and falls are a leading cause of injury for this group. According to a recent study, healthcare expenditures for non-fatal falls alone among the older population in the US were estimated to be $80 billion, with the majority paid by Medicare. Moreover, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that physical inactivity costs the United States an additional $117 billion a year for related healthcare, including inpatient, outpatient, home health, prescription drug, and other.

Given the size of the costs on the medical system, it is an understatement to call physical inactivity and sedentary behavior a global crisis.

There have been many efforts from the U.S. government to build facilities and implement programs to enable physical activity. There are also new products such as wearable devices and fitness apps that provide tools for people who want to exercise. So, with all of these available resources, why do preventable problems like falls caused by muscle degeneration and diabetes due to obesity still remain as serious and prevalent as they are today?

“Just like medicine, exercise should be prescribed to every individual to effectively prevent and manage physical declines,” says Ron Blehm, physiotherapist and founder of EEI Physio, LLC.

“Factors including exercise type, dosage, and intensity should be carefully considered to achieve healthy and dignified aging while preventing the multitude of frailty-related complications.”

Since 2000, there have been more than 135,000 research papers published on how exercise prevents chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, and obesity.

Building on all of this data, Vancouver-based Ginkgo Health conducted a feasibility study on how best to guide people’s training via a one-on-one exercise prescription.

The study shows that it takes a health expert:

• 1 hour to do a full health assessment for an individual.
• 4 to 5 hours to craft an effective, data-driven exercise program that minimizes the risk of injuries and further deterioration of chronic conditions, while meeting the fitness level required to get the best results. The plan needs to balance the right intensity with the right frequency, and include a proper mix of balance, strength and cardio training.
• And then the expert would need an additional 1 to 2 hours to record step-by-step training.

With the above calculus, healthcare systems would need to dedicate 24 billion hours solely to creating a single tailored exercise prescription for each of the 3 billion people who are 40 and older. The situation is even less feasible when you consider additional variables that may require regular adjustments to these exercise plans, like changes in daily energy levels and updating them as the patient gets in better shape.

“We are here to make impossible things possible,” says Maggie Deng, founder and CEO of Ginkgo Health. “Ginkgo Active is the first digital solution for people of all ages in different places to access personalized health optimization to aid in prevention of physical declines and chronic conditions.”

Ginkgo Active built an AI Expert System using evidence-based research, digitized over 2,000 human exercises tracking 170,000 data points, and created a digital twin that mimics a human body’s joints and muscle groups. It can finish an assessment in 5 to 8 minutes and generate an exercise prescription in less than a second.

“In our study, people couldn’t keep up with exercise habits due to motivation loss, transportation hassles and affordability,” says Jack Li, co-founder of Ginkgo Health. “Ginkgo Active utilizes 3D engine technology and a gamified storyline with reward systems to facilitate motivation and habit-building right in their homes. It is easy to use and fun.”

Risk Elimination: Individuals with chronic conditions can injure themselves if they don’t know which exercise movements could be dangerous for their health conditions. This is especially true for comorbidities, in which patients have two or more serious conditions, where risk factors overlap and become more complex to manage.

Ginkgo’s AI solution removes the exercises that could potentially exacerbate those overlapping medical conditions to ensure that safety remains the bottom line for physical activity.

Multicomponent training: Resistance, cardiovascular, and balance training are all essential to a person’s longevity and life quality as they age. For the 45-and-older population, inadequate training of each can have serious health consequences. For example, lack of resistance training leads to loss of muscle mass, which can lead to difficulties with functional independence. Inadequate cardiovascular training results in blood lipids and hypertension, which are leading indicators of heart attack and stroke. Lack of balance training often results in higher risk of falls, which we’ve already seen is a leading cause of injury for this demographic.

Ginkgo’s algorithm is structured to create exercise programs that include all three types of training in the right dosage for each person.

Holistic Enhancement: The most active population—such as athletes and bodybuilders—are often more prone to physical injuries because they are likely to overuse the same muscles. It is important for everyone, regardless of their level of activity, to have a holistic training approach that works their entire body and includes various exercise movements to improve movement literacy.

Ginkgo’s exercise prescriptions take into account past and current physical injuries while providing a routine to cover all muscle groups on a weekly basis.

Discover how Ginkgo Active can transform your health. Learn more at www.ginkgo.health