Minister of Health at Journalist’s Day Meeting: Increasing Physical Activity in Society with the Cooperation of the Ministries of Health and Sports / 50% of Children in the Country Are Inactive
Dr. Koohpayeh Zadeh: The Federation, with the Participation of the Deaf and the Blind Federations, Is Ready to Combat Inactivity among People with Disabilities
At a Journalist’s Day event, Dr. Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, Minister of Health, addressed the collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sports to strengthen preventive measures against non-communicable (chronic) diseases—most notably, by supporting physical activity and public sports. He stated:
“We held a joint meeting with the Ministry of Sports and hope to increase public participation in physical activity, especially in the domains of student and community sports.”
According to the Public Relations office of the Veterans and Disabled Sports Federation, Dr. Zafarghandi responded to a question from the federation’s cultural and artistic representative, pointing to the prevalence of inactivity in Iran:
“Physical inactivity is a serious problem today that threatens both children and adults. Statistics show that 30–50% of the country’s children are inactive, and many physical problems begin at these early ages. Among adults, neglecting public sports and physical activity can lead to serious vascular diseases.”
He continued:
“People need both health literacy and suitable spaces for exercise; physical activity strengthens both body and mind. Many cases of depression stem from lack of physical activities.”
Dr. Zafarghandi stressed the importance of joint efforts and hoped for increased participation in physical activities through closer cooperation between the ministries of health and sports.
Dr. Koohpayeh Zadeh: Minimizing Inactivity for People with Disabilities through Federation Synergy
Following the joint session, Dr. Koohpayeh Zadeh, President of the Federation, announced the federation’s full readiness to activate disability-focused sections in projects to reduce inactivity. He added that, through collaboration with the federations for the blind and visually impaired, and for the deaf, the goal is to have a positive effect on reducing inactivity and its related diseases among people with all types of disabilities—physical, motor, intellectual, hearing, and visual.
He emphasized that this cooperative effort can play a significant role in decreasing inactivity in the disabled community and improving their overall health status.
