Should health policy focus on physical activity rather than obesity? Yes

Physical inactivity is one of the greatest health threats facing developed nations today. In his latest annual report England’s chief medical officer acknowledged that the benefits of regular physical activity on health, longevity, and well being “easily surpass the effectiveness of any drugs or other medical treatment.”1

When activity is measured objectively with accelerometers, 95% of the population in England2 and the United States3 did not meet the admittedly modest recommended amounts of weekly physical activity to confer important health benefits (30 minutes’ moderate to vigorous  physical activity on at least five days a week or equivalent4 5). This is alarming given that numerous authoritative sources, including a systematic review6 and consensus statements from the International Association for the Study of Obesity7 and the British Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences,8 have all concluded that meeting these targets is not enough to prevent obesity and that even more …