With adult and childhood obesity on the rise, citizens and lawmakers alike are scrambling to come up with a solution to America’s rapidly deteriorating health.

In the past year, lawmakers in New York and Missouri have attempted to curb obesity by implementing laws that would restrict the diets of citizens. The law in New York aims to ban the sale of sugary soft drinks larger than 16 ounces.

The law in Mississippi, which has been deemed the nation’s “fattest state,” aims to ban restaurants from serving oversized portions of food and beverages and attempts to require restaurants to list the calorie counts of meals. A law approved by Governor Phil Bryant on Mar. 18 in response to the laws in New York and Mississippi prohibits Mississippi cities from regulating restaurant meal portion sizes or forcing restaurants to list calorie counts.

These laws are genuine attempts at ameliorating the problem of obesity in America. They are, however, attempts at a quick fix. The problem of obesity is not solely to blame on large portions of food or drink. The issue is much more complex than that and requires more thoughtful solutions.

A key to ending the obesity epidemic is education. Many Americans are unaware of their nutritional needs. Nutrition needs to be taught in school to give the next generation a leg up on their health and wellness. Emphasis on physical education and enjoyable exercise must accompany nutritional education.

As a society, obesity has blossomed thanks to quick meals, fast food and the lack of good nutritional knowledge. Focus on the joy of cooking, consuming healthy meals and getting regular exercise needs to be put in place to curb the obesity epidemic and raise healthier generations.

Wellness is not something that can be mandated by the government. Everyday citizens must take control of their own health if they are to live long, happy lives and if they are to provide their children with solid foundations for healthy, happy living.