An intercultural comparison of European and united states older adults physical fitness behaviors

Physical inactivity is a primary contributor to the obesity epidemic (Gray, C. L., Messer et al. 2018). Obesity has been on the rise in both the United States and Europe. In the United States from 1999–2000 through 2017–2018, the prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2% as reported by the CDC. In Europe the prevalence of obesity is estimated to be 23%. In Europe the prevalence of obesity has increased between 2010 and 2014, and has tripled since 1980 (Pineda E, et al 2018). What are the lifestyle contributing factors to the increase in obesity? How do European obesity rates compare to the United States? And what are some key differences? What can we determine from the comparison to help prevent future increases? This review will allow us to closely examine these questions and will help us with a fundamental understanding of the obesity pandemic across Europe and the United States.