Who gets to move? Environments, inequality, and obesity
Physical activity is often presented as a simple solution to obesity. Move more. Sit less. But this framing misses the point.
Obesity is a complex, chronic disease shaped by biological, social, economic, and environmental factors - and the same is true of physical activity. People’s ability to be active is not simply a matter of motivation or personal choice; it is shaped by the conditions in which they live, work, and move. The persistence of this narrative is not accidental. It has been reinforced over time by commercial actors seeking to shift attention away from the systemic drivers of obesity and align their brands with sport and health.
World Obesity’s latest position makes this clear: while physical activity plays a critical role in preventing and managing obesity, systems actively produce patterns of physical activity and inactivity through how time, space, and resources are organised - from whether there are safe spaces to walk, to how cities are designed, to how time is structured across work and care. Physical activity is not just a behaviour, but an outcome of the conditions societies create to make movement possible..
The implications go beyond physical health
Physical activity supports mental wellbeing, reducing anxiety and depression and improving overall quality of life. When movement becomes harder, those benefits are lost. And as with many aspects of obesity, the impacts are not evenly distributed: access to safe, affordable opportunities for physical activity is shaped by income, gender, disability, and geography. While physical activity delivers wide-ranging health benefits, its effect on weight loss alone is modest without broader changes in diet and environment to support it.
For people living with obesity, these barriers can be compounded by stigma, physical limitations, and lack of appropriate support, reinforcing the need for inclusive and adapted approaches to physical activity as part of long-term care.
Read our statement
Climate change is exposing the problem
A recent study published in the Lancet Global Health shows that rising temperatures are already reducing physical activity globally. This should not surprise us. Extreme heat makes outdoor activity unsafe. Air pollution discourages movement and play. Urbanisation continues to reduce access to green space. Climate change is not introducing new barriers - it is intensifying the ones that already exist.
The effects will be felt most strongly in low- and middle-income countries, where rapid urbanisation, climate vulnerability, and limited access to safe, supportive environments already constrain opportunities for physical activity - and which have also contributed least to climate change but face the highest exposure and least capacity to adapt.
If obesity and physical inactivity are part of the same system, they require coordinated, multisectoral responses. Urban environments that prioritise walking, cycling, and public transport can increase daily movement, reduce emissions, and improve health outcomes at the same time. Policies that create safe, inclusive, and accessible spaces for movement can reduce inequalities while supporting both physical and mental health.
The question, then, is not whether people are active enough. It is whether the societies we live in are structured to make activity possible. And who these systems are designed to serve and whether they come at the expense of health.
Read our position statement
On World Physical Activity Day (6 April), the World Obesity Federation has published a new position statement in Obesity Reviews, outlining the critical role of physical activity in both preventing and managing obesity, and calling for stronger action to address the systemic barriers that limit people’s ability to be active.
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