SHOTLIST:TRT: 1:13AP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYWashington DC - January 4, 201316x91. SOUNDBITE: Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Medical Writer:"Americans get it that obesity is a national health crisis. Three quarters of them agree that it is a very serious problem, and they understand a lot of the drivers as well. Top of their lists for what to blame were too much screen time and cheap fast food."AP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYno location, no dateFILE16x92. Various of overweight people walking down street4x33. Mid of McDonald's restaurantAP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYWashington DC - January 4, 201316x94. SOUNDBITE: Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Medical Writer:"Americans were split on how much the government should intervene, really evenly split. About a third thought the government should be deeply involved in finding some solutions to this problem. Another third said, 'Nope, little or no involvement,' and the rest were somewhere in the middle."AP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYno date, no locationFILE4X35. Overweight man walking down street eating a candy bar6. Overweight couple walking down sidewalk AP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYWashington DC - January 4, 201316x97. SOUNDBITE: Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Medical Writer:"Most everybody was supportive of the government taking steps that would allow them information to make healthier choices on their own, things like putting calorie counts on restaurant menus. Overwhelming majority said, 'Yes, this is a good idea.' But, people started drawing the line at policies that would restrict their food choices."AP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYno date, no location FILE4X312. Mid of fast food menu13. Mid of fast food workers behind counter16x914. Push in to man getting soda at soda fountainAP VIDEO - AP CLIENTS ONLYWashington DC - January 4, 201316x915. SOUNDBITE: Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Medical Writer:"More than half of the people in our poll said really it falls to the individual to take responsibility for dealing with obesity. About a third said it's actually a community problem. It's going to take government and schools and health officials in the food industry to chip in and help solve the problem. And 12% thought it was going to be a combination of both."STORYLINE:We know obesity is a health crisis, or every new year wouldn't start with resolutions to eat better and get off the couch. But don't try taking away our junk food.Americans blame too much screen time and cheap fast food for fueling the nation's fat epidemic, a poll finds, but they're split on how much the government should do to help.Most draw the line at policies that would try to force healthier eating by limiting food choices, according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.A third of people say the government should be deeply involved in finding ways to curb obesity, while a similar proportion want it to play little or no role. The rest are somewhere in the middle."Most everybody was supportive of the government taking steps that would allow them information to make healthier choices on their own, things like putting calorie counts on restaurant menus," said AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. "People started drawing the line at policies that would restrict their food choices."But nearly 6 in 10 people surveyed oppose taxes targeting unhealthy foods, known as soda taxes or fat taxes.And when it comes to restricting what people can buy, like New York City's recent ban of supersized sodas in restaurants, three-quarters say no way."More than half of the people in our poll said really it falls to the individual to take responsibility for dealing with obesity," said Neergaard. "About a third said it's actually a community problem. It's going to take government and schools and health officials in the food industry to chip in and help solve the problem. And 12% thought it was going to be a combination of both."That finding highlights the dilemma facing public health experts: Societal changes over recent decades have helped spur growing waistlines, and now a third of U.S. children and teens and two-thirds of adults are either overweight or obese. Today, restaurants dot more street corners and malls, regular-sized portions are larger, and a fast-food meal can be cheaper than healthier fare. Not to mention electronic distractions that slightly more people surveyed blamed for obesity than fast food.(****END****)