Prevention of Obesity and Physical Inactivity

Energy imbalance, obesity, and physical inactivity are key risk factors for at least eight types of cancer as well as other life-threatening conditions. Obesity results from an excess of energy intake relative to energy expenditure over time. Until recently, the onus for maintaining a healthy body weight was placed predominantly on the individual. The traditional concept of individual autonomy cannot explain the rapid worldwide increase in obesity and physical inactivity over the last 40 years. A new paradigm has emerged, in which individual choices are important, but these choices are made within a social, economic, and physical context that profoundly influences the options. Food choices are affected by the availability and pricing of different products and by social norms about eating patterns body weight. Urbanization and a more rapid pace of life reduce access to homegrown and home-cooked foods, and mechanization replaces the need for walking and manual labor.