Obesity is rapidly becoming one of the country’s — and even the world’s — new health “epidemics.” The spread of obesity is often compared to a disease, the rate of obesity rising at epidemic-like proportions. Several years ago, a CDC survey indicated that 64 percent of adults and 15 percent of children in the United States were either overweight or obese. College students are not exempt from this demographic.

The trend has recently made an impact in other countries where drive-thru convenience is appearing in vast numbers. The question is raised, how something as basic as food consumption can lead to a sudden increase in the numbers of overweight and obese people throughout the world, especially when world hunger is still a very real issue in developing countries.

The cause of this is relatively basic, according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. Consuming too many calories without the correct level of activity to effectively burn these calories is considered the most basic reason for overweight and obesity. This happens because most people have a lifestyle that leaves little time for organized exercise and little time for planning a balanced and healthy diet.

In the university culture, long hours, studying, sleeping and socializing make finding the time to make a healthy dinner difficult. All too often, the drive-thru window or restaurant table becomes a familiar sight for people and some families eat fast food more than once a week. While genetics does play a role in the way an individual metabolizes energy and stores fat, bodies were not designed for obesity. Obesity is a preventable condition.

Nutritional education is cited as a cause for the sudden increase in obesity trends. The argument that people are simply not aware of what they are consuming, and the real effects that these products have on a body’s function, is prevalent among advocacy groups.

While the push for nutritional education is important, people must consider the common sense factor when regarding food consumption. Fast food, and other high fat, high calorie meals are not marketed as healthful or beneficial to one’s physical condition. They are so popular because they are inexpensive, available and easy. Nutritional education could serve a role in relating how these foods actually affect a body’s function.

Nearly 10 percent of U.S. health care funds, are allocated for the treatment of overweight and obesity every year. Recently, obesity has been listed as insurable and can be covered by most providers. This new development leaves taxpayers covering obesity treatments as part of the health care system.

The question of personal responsibility comes into play when considering the implications of treating obesity as a clinical disease rather than a preventable condition.

The majority of people who are eating fast food regularly know the food they are consuming is not part of a healthy diet, and is riddled in fat, calories, sugars and other products which, if not burned off through activity, can lead to weight gain.

While it may be difficult to incorporate exercise into most daily routines, it is not impossible and is extremely beneficial in the long run. It also might not be convenient to sit down and plan a healthy diet, but it is well worth the time.

Meal planning and exercise are two small ways to change your lifestyle that will have big results later in life. Obesity is a complex issue with many facets that make a single solution impossible.

Taking responsibility for what you eat, and how much you exercise is an easy way to begin fighting the trends of obesity.