PHYSICAL inactivity should be treated just as seriously a health threat as smoking and alcohol abuse.

That is the recommendation of doctors in Glasgow who say more than 2500 deaths every year in Scotland are directly due to lack of exercise and could be avoided.

In a report issued today by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, leading healthcare professionals says patients should be asked about lack of activity in their daily lives when they have a medical assessment at hospital or their GP's clinic, and appropriate advice given.

"Increasing physical activity must be given equal priority to smoking cessation and addressing harmful use of alcohol," said Dr Frank Dunn, president of the College.

"Despite the serious impact of physical inactivity on health, current strategies for helping people to become more active falls far behind the support given to people to quit smoking, for example.

"Yet, small changes in a person's level of activity can significantly impact on their health - we know that just 30 minutes of exercise daily can reduce early death by 30%."

In 2012 medical journal The Lancet labelled the problem a pandemic and said it accounted for more than five million deaths worldwide each year -equivalent to the number of deaths caused by smoking.

There is ray of hope for Scotland: while globally levels of activity are decreasing, we live in one of the few countries where it is increasing in adults and children.

"The evidence of the benefits of regular physical activity is becoming stronger every year. Our clear message to patients is that regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health," said Dr Andrew Murray, a GP and ultra-marathon runner who is the Scottish Government's physical activity champion and works closely with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow.

"Any form of physical activity, walking or cycling as part of the commute, or walking or sport in leisure time, gets the happy hormones going, and helps prevent over 40 major diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and some types of cancer.

"Every step is a step to health and happiness.

"Scotland's Chief Medical Officer recently labelled physical inactivity as the fourth biggest killer in Scotland, and urged all health professionals, including doctors, to ask patients about physical activity levels, and offer appropriate brief advice on how to be more active more often.

"This is not happening routinely in our hospitals or GP surgeries and we are calling for that to change."