Obesity is a complex, chronic disease shaped by biological, environmental and societal factors.
While physical activity is a key component of both prevention and care, the authors of a new position statement from the World Obesity Federation emphasise that individual behaviour change alone is not enough.
The federation’s chief executive officer Johanna Ralston said: “Physical activity is fundamental to both preventing and managing obesity, but it does not exist in a vacuum.
“People’s ability to be active is shaped by the environments they live in, the systems that support them and the opportunities available to them.
“We must move beyond outdated narratives of individual responsibility, and instead, invest in policies and systems that make physical activity accessible, inclusive and achievable for all.”
Globally, levels of physical inactivity are rising, with more than 30% of adults not meeting recommended activity levels.
Without stronger, coordinated action, the world is unlikely to meet global targets to reduce inactivity by 2030.
The statement, published in conjunction with World Physical Activity Day on April 6 (2026) in the journal Obesity Reviews, highlights that physical activity supports a wide range of health outcomes, including improved cardiovascular and metabolic health, better mental well-being and reduced risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
For people living with obesity, it also plays an important role in improving physical function, quality of life and long-term health outcomes.
However, the paper also makes clear that physical activity should not be viewed through a narrow lens of weight alone.
World Obesity Federation Programme Development and Strategy director and statement co-author Dr Angie Jackson-Morris said: “Improving health outcomes for people living with obesity requires more than a focus on weight alone.
“Movement plays a critical role in promoting cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal and mental health, and should be embedded in prevention strategies and clinical care.
“To make this a reality, we need coordinated action to remove barriers and ensure opportunities to be active are accessible and inclusive for all.”
The publication comes at a time of growing global attention on new obesity treatments, including GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist medications.
While these therapies represent an important advance, the authors stress that they must be delivered as part of comprehensive, person-centred care.
Approaches that combine medical treatment with physical activity and nutrition support are essential to support long-term health and well-being.
The World Obesity Federation is calling on governments and policymakers to take a whole-of-society approach to increasing physical activity.
This will require deliberate policy choices to move beyond car-dependent, inequitable systems and make movement part of everyday life by:
- Rebalancing transport investment towards walking, cycling, recreation and active travel infrastructure, rather than continued reliance on car-centric planning.
- Embedding physical activity within health systems, including routine support in primary and community care, rather than treating it as an optional add-on.
- Aligning urban planning, transport and education policies to make physical activity an integrated part of daily life across the life course.
- Targeting inequalities directly, by prioritising safe, affordable opportunities for physical activity in underserved and marginalised communities.
World Obesity Federation Policy and Prevention Committee chair and Monash University Malaysia professor of Health Policy Dr Kent Buse said: “Let’s be honest: people are not failing to be active; rather, systems are failing them.
“Inactivity has been deliberately engineered into our cities, our economies and our daily lives, while responsibility is shifted onto individuals.
“Until governments confront the commercial, political and urban systems that constrain movement, progress on obesity will remain performative rather than real.”
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