New research carried out by Indiana University, US, has revealed that an increased amount of exercise is beneficial to some people more than others in tackling obesity.

The study - published in the May's Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health - was conducted by Dong-Chul Seo, associate professor in the school of health, physical education and recreation's Department of Applied Health Science. More than 12,000 people in a sample of 20-to-64-year-olds across the US took part in the study, which found that while obesity rates showed an overall drop as weekly leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) increased, it was not necessarily the same for all user groups.

According to the research, the "conventional wisdom" – that increased levels physical activity leads to reduced obesity – was more applicable to white women, with racial, ethnic and gender differences having an impact on the results. The role of the workplace was also identified as a contributing factor. Seo said: "For the majority of health professionals, even health researchers, they say the more leisure-time physical activity you engage in, the less likely you'll get obese. This is true, but it's probably only applicable to white women and some of the white men.

"Workplace wellness programs should really be emphasized, especially for people who do sedentary work. To enhance their health, maybe employers could offer workout spaces and incentives to do physical activity during the work hours or right after."