Environment

The environment is a major determinant of overweight and obesity. Environmental influences on overweight and obesity are primarily related to food intake and physical activity behaviors (71).  In countries like the United States, there is an overall abundance of palatable, calorie-dense food. In addition, aggressive and sophisticated food marketing in the mass media, supermarkets, and restaurants, and the large portions of food served outside the home, promote high calorie consumption. Many of our sociocultural traditions promote overeating and the preferential consumption of high-calorie foods. For many people, even when caloric intake is not above the recommended level, the number of calories expended in physical activity is insufficient to offset consumption. Mechanization limits the necessity of physical activity required to function in society. Many people are entrenched in sedentary daily routines consisting of sitting at work, sitting in traffic, and sitting in front of a television or a computer monitor for most of their waking hours.

In this obesity-promoting environment, individual attitudes and behaviors are critical in weight management. Many individuals may need extended treatment in clinical or community settings to enable them to cope with the complexities of long-term weight management, especially if there is a history of unsuccessful attempts at self-treatment (44). When the typical daily routine is so strongly biased towards promoting and perpetuating overweight and obesity, very high levels of knowledge, motivation, personal behavioral management skill, and lifestyle flexibility are required for an overweight or obesity-prone individual to avoid becoming overweight, or progressing to moderate or severe obesity.

Although there are undoubtedly some inter- and intrapopulation variations in the genetic predisposition to become overweight or obese, several lines of evidence suggest that genetic factors alone cannot explain the demographic and ethnic variations in overweight and obesity prevalence. For example, there is a difference in obesity prevalence among low- and high-income white women in industrialized societies (323, 324). Other studies of populations, including migration studies, have shown an increase in average body weight in those who move from a traditional to a Westernized environment (325-328). Culturally determined attitudes about food, physical activity, and factors that vary with income, education, and occupation may increase the level of difficulty in weight management. Body image concerns and other motivations for avoiding obesity or controlling weight within given limits also vary with ethnic background, age, socioeconomic status, and gender. Thus, the competence of practitioners in working with diverse sociocultural perspectives can be a critical factor in the success of obesity treatment (257).  For a discussion of cultural issues in obesity treatment and related references, see Appendix III.