The Christmas special edition of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) is full of tasty studies this year. After stressing that the men are dumber than women, the newspaper relays work that establishes a correlation between political beliefs and their physical activity. In other words, politicians who claim more extreme ideas would do more sport than moderates or centrists, who spend more time sitting.
Researchers at the University of Sidney, Australia, wanted to check whether politicians were sedentary. To do this, they used a European barometer made in 2005 on behalf of the European Commission. 29,000 adults, on average 40 years old, were asked about their level and duration of physical activity as well as the time spent sitting. Their political position was assessed on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the left wing and 10 being the right wing. The centrists were placed between 3 and 8.
The responses show that the most extremist respondents (left or right wing) do more sport each week than the centrists. The former work more than the latter. People of the “far right” and “far left” are active on average 1 hour more per week than the centrists.
The centrists, a group “at risk”
In the BMJ, Australians do not go by the back of the spoon: “Busy people at both ends of the political spectrum do not have time for idleness,” they blurt. Researchers do not hesitate to qualify these centrists, “really inactive” and more often seated, as a group “at risk”. They therefore advise them for their health “to adopt a stronger political position”. A good hearer.
