Burden and predisposing factors of physical inactivity among adults in Africa: Systematic review and Meta-analysis

Physical inactivity is a primary driver of global mortality, data on its specific impact in Africa remains fragmented. We conducted this study to provide the first comprehensive pooled prevalence and identify predisposing factors contributing to physical inactivity among African adults.

We searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar for studies published between March 1, 2010, and March 31, 2025. A quality assessment of the studies was performed through the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The random-effect (DerSimonian) model was used to calculate the aggregated rates of physical inactivity among adults and their predisposing factors. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic, along with subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test, and all analyses were performed in STATA, version 17.

This systematic review and meta-analysis included 34 studies with a total of 41,521 participants. The pooled prevalence of physical inactivity was 45% (95% CI: 35%-55%), and there was considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 98.4%). The highest prevalence of 57% (95% CI: 0.33, 0.81) I2 = 97.7 seen in 2013 and the lowest prevalence 28% (95% CI: 0.03, 0.53) I2 = 94.3%) observed in 2011. This study identified that, being female (OR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.55, 2.25), Adults aged ≥ 60, (OR=2.18; 95% CI:1.98,4.77), being obese (OR=3.52; 95% CI: 2.26,5.49), urban dweller (OR=1.91, 95% CI:1.24,2.95), being overweight (OR=2.03; 95% CI: 1.61,2.68), depression symptom (OR= 1.34;95% CI: 1.07,1.68) and more drinking of alcohol (OR=1.73; 95% CI: 1.18,2.64), were significant predisposing factors associated with prevalence of physical inactivity.

A high level of physical inactivity was observed amongst the African adults. Our findings indicate that female gender, older age, being overweight and obese, high levels of alcohol consumption and depression are significant predictors of physical inactivity in the African population. Promoting awareness about the positive impacts of regular exercise on health among women and an elderly age group could effectively lower the chances of hypokinetic diseases.