US News

Big butts tell gov’t: ‘Butt out!’

WASHINGTON — A phone poll focusing on US obesity found that Americans mostly agree on who’s to blame — TV and fast food — but not on what, if anything, the government should do about it.

One-third of the 1,011 adult respondents told the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs from Nov. 21 to Dec. 14 that they want their elected representatives involved in finding a solution.

But another third would rather that the feds play little or no role in such a quest.

Should more physical activity be required in school? Should nutritional guidelines be stressed more? Eight in 10 answered yes.

Should restaurant menus include calorie counts, as the Food and Drug Administration is poised to do? Seven in 10 liked that idea.

But when asked about taxing unhealthy foods — the so-called soda or fat tax — six in 10 said, “No way.”

And as for restricting what people can buy — as in Mayor Bloomberg’s recent ban of supersize sodas in restaurants — three out of four were ready to fight City Hall.

Yes, three-quarters said, obesity is a national health issue — but dealing with it is up to the individual.

“They should stay out of our lives,” said Pamela Dupuis, 60, of Aurora, Colo., who added that she has struggled with her weight and has even been diagnosed as prediabetic.