Reply #137: The number of cultural factors is large.

[TahitiNut]

In comparison to European cultures ...

• theirs is pedestrian and ours is automotive - cities with mass transit and sidewalk commerce connected by rail compared to cities without mass transit with parking lot commerce connected by highways
• theirs is cuisine that emphasizes local agriculture and flavor and ours emphasizes shelf life and cheap preparation - that includes ADM's HFCS vs. sugar cane from Cuba, canned and frozen goods, carbohydrates and fats
• theirs are communities that emphasize parks and recreation and ours emphasize sleeping and TV-watching between commutes to and from work
• theirs respects the working class with about 6 weeks of vacation/holidays and sacred weekends while ours emphasizes casual overtime and company loyalty

And that's just scratching the surface. We see the differences in public education and health care as well - differences that affect health, exercise, and diet. The many ways in which health conditions can affect individual weight are pervasive in the U.S. and becoming more extensive every day.

I suspect that the most pervasive influence is the "profit motive" ... there's a profit to be made in obesity, not only in corporate agribusiness and a for-profit health care system but in ridding ourselves of 'useless bodies' past their prime in terms of labor. The economics favor profiteers in almost everything noted above.