According to the National Institute of Health (ISS), physically active Italians have returned to pre-Covid levels by 2023-2024, but sedentariness remains high, especially in the South. Only 50% of adults and 42% of the over-65s engage in regular physical activity. Sedentary people are declining (27% among adults, 37% among the elderly), but remain higher among women, people with economic difficulties and low levels of education. The geographic divide is stark: in the North sedentary people are 16%, in the South 38%. In Calabria it is over 50%. “The trend is declining after years of growth,” explains Maria Masocco of the ISS, "especially in areas with the highest percentages. The improvement mainly affects young people under 50 and the more affluent social groups".