When you hear the term “obesity,” an image or connotation immediately pops into your mind. Depending on the person with the thought, the image or connotation differs. However, for most people, obesity carries a negative image in the minds of the general public. With all this in mind, is obesity a disease or a choice? While this may seem like an easy question to answer for a person who is not obese, the answer is difficult because the topic is very controversial. Researchers disagree; health workers disagree; people who don't understand the problem don't agree. In the United States, 35.7% of adults and nearly 17% of children between the ages of 2 and 19 are considered obese (Ogden, Carroll, and Kit). After careful research, consideration, and a conversation with a trusted pediatrician, I maintain that obesity is a choice and that environmental factors, genetic makeup, and social influences are major causes that can be controlled. When considering obesity, one must first look at the surrounding environment of obese individuals. Obesity often begins early in life and continues throughout adulthood. “The home environment has been identified as a key factor influencing children's diet and physical activity” (Robert). School-age children spend an average of 7.5 hours a day sitting and using TVs, computers, and video games (Rideout, Foehr, and Roberts). It can be inferred that with so much exposure to electronics, physical inactivity leads to obesity. Adults are no different. Escalators and elevators have taken the place of stairs. Instead of walking to the grocery store, many adults will drive. All the inactivity leads to a sedentary lifestyle, which can lead to obesity. Therefore, a lifestyle choice of inactivity is a step towards obesity. Not only is the environment a...... medium of paper...... and social networks. July 2009. 21 January 2014. .Leung, Plato. How social and peer pressure can influence a person's obesity. October 26, 2008. January 20, 2014. Nauert, Rick. Social networks influence obesity. July 12, 2012. January 20, 2014. .Ogden, Cyntia L., et al. January 2012. January 20, 2014. .Rideout, Victoria J., Ulla G. Foehr, and Donald F. Roberts. M2 generation media in the lives of children aged 8 to 18. Menlo Park, CA: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010. Robert, Courtney. The home environment and childhood obesity. Thesis. Virginia Poltechnic Institute. Blacksburg, Virginia, 2010. January 20 2014. .