“The rate of obesity among children has almost tripled since 1963. This frightening statistic represents a major problem for the population American. Not only are children less healthy, but they grow up to be unhealthy adults” (Space 3). In this quote it talks about childhood obesity and how it has tripled over the years. Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States today and must be taken very seriously. Who should be responsible for childhood obesity? Many people, including parents and children, point the finger at fast food, genetics, technology, their parents, and even the children themselves. All of these accusations, however, are inaccurate. Rather than blaming children for their obesity, we should blame the obesogenic environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Before analyzing childhood obesity in America, some understanding of the obesogenic environment is necessary. The obesogenic environment refers to “an environment that promotes weight gain and is not conducive to weight loss” (Swinburn 1999). In other words, an obesogenic environment encourages children to eat poorly and discourages them from being physically active. This obesogenic environment is harmful to the health of children in our society and must be stopped. Portion size plays an important role in the obesogenic environment. Over 50 years ago, food portions were much smaller. According to the essay "Supersize Me: It's Time To Stop Blaming Fat People for Their Size" in Models for Writers, "the original 1960s McDonald's meal of a hamburger, fries, and a twelve-ounce Coke contained about 590 calories. But today, a quarter pounder with cheese, giant fries, and Coke—a meal that the same kids consider an after-school snack—contains up to 1,550 calories” (Motluk 563). An individual is only supposed to consume around 2,000 calories per day, meaning that one McDonald's meal is almost equivalent to a person's total calorie intake for the day. As a result, restaurants end up competing with each other to get the biggest portions. The philosophy of every fast food restaurant is that “bigger is better”. Their menu board screams, “burgers, fries and king-size drinks!” » Promoting that bigger is better, kids constantly want king-sized meals and will fight their parents until they get one. With fast food restaurants all around, kids will want to eat every day. Another contributing factor to the obesogenic environment is the lack of physical activity at school. Alison Motluk said, “One-third of American high school students fail to get enough physical activity and more than one-tenth get none at all…” (563). This quote, from Motluck's essay, is important because without recess, children are not getting the exercise needed to burn calories or lose body fat. When kids just sit at their desks and listen to their teachers all day, they don't have time to socialize with friends outside of class, exercise, or take a break from schoolwork . Lack of physical activity at school is a serious problem for children, especially if they are obese. Not only does staying active help children lose weight, it can also reduce their risk of heart disease, improve their »..