The role of physical activity in an obesogenic environment for cardiovascular risk reduction across the lifespan: A Scientific Statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the ESC

The rising prevalence of obesity poses an increasing burden on individuals, health care systems, and society. Obesity is the main risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Physical activity (PA) may help to reduce the risk for CVD across the lifespan independent of obesity. The obesogenic and built environment can influence obesity and PA. The primary objective of this scientific statement is to underscore the role of obesity as a risk factor for CVD and to explore how PA can be leveraged to mitigate CVD risk. A novel aspect is the examination of how environmental factors influence the feasibility and implementation of current PA guidelines. Rather than focusing exclusively on a specific age group, this scientific statement investigates how environmental determinants may affect the implementation of increasing PA throughout the lifespan by focusing on three age groups: children and adolescents (<18 years), adults (18-64 years), and older adults (≥65 years). Furthermore, this scientific statement analyses the association of the built environment on PA behaviour by conducting a scoping literature review to identify age-specific evidence regarding the relation of the built environment on PA across the lifespan. This review highlights potentially effective strategies to reduce CVD risk within the context of the built environment and provides practical implications for healthcare professionals and policymakers to increase PA behaviour on an individual and societal level. Altogether, the present work raises awareness of the broader challenges posed by obesity and advocates for PA as a key strategy to improve public health outcomes.