Over the past four months, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been aggressively campaigning against obesity in the state of California. In September, he called the Governor’s Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity to educate Californians on the obesity problem. The government has encouraged food producers and restaurants to offer healthier meal alternatives. Finally, the California Senate passed three bills to limit the sale of junk food on school campuses.

California, the United States, and, indeed, much of the industrialized world is fighting with obesity. According to the National Institute of Health, obese individuals have a “50 to 100 percent increase of death from all causes.” Unlike most diseases, which can strike without warning and require years of medications and surgeries to correct, obesity can be countered with a well-balanced diet and exercise.

Despite these simple remedies, the fact remains that we are not listening. We hear fact after fact, statistic after statistic, warning after warning, and still do not change.

By all rights, obesity should be a personal problem, but it has grown into such a massive epidemic that the government of California has had to intervene. Companies and restaurants are changing their menus to help compensate for our lack of a good diet.

We believe that, while it is good that those in power are trying to help, this addresses only part of the problem. By reforming the schools, the restaurants, and other industries, the government is sending out the signal that individuals are not at fault, and that it is the duty of the state to make things better.

However, unlike any other health threat, the problems of obesity come from people and attitudes. No matter how many “healthy” meals a fast food place offers, a person who eats nothing but fast food will probably become obese. This is not the fault of the fast food chain. It is the fault of the person.

We believe the state’s efforts to increase public knowledge about obesity, exercise, and healthy eating are much more effective. While having healthier alternatives will certainly aid the people who want to eat better, we first need to get to the point where more people consciously do want to improve their eating habits.

The state’s efforts to change our lives and ultimately improve our health are a great start, and we applaud their efforts. But we need to remember that the efforts are exactly that—a start. It’s our choice to accept the changes, to start eating these healthier meals and exercising more.

The government has given us a viable starting point. Now it’s our responsibility to keep going down the path to a healthier lifestyle.

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