Ads and Childhood Obesity
Visualize this: youngsters across the world are sitting in front of the TV watching food commercials at the rate of more than five per hour. Most of those commercials are for sugary foods, fast food, and other high-calorie items, each of which can add to childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity and excessive weight is a national problem. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 17 percent of children are overweight. Further, overweight children quite often turn into overweight adults. They have an greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and certain cancers, along with other ailments and diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the problem may be that American society has become “obesogenic,”. This is defined by situations and environments that boost increased consumption of food, unhealthful foods, and a sedentary lifestyle.
As reported by researchers at the University of California-Davis, that evaluated the kinds of food commercials observed by kids who watch English- and Spanish-language TV programs. During high viewing times for children (Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons). Recordings were made of programs on twelve networks, including children’s cable channels, networks that attract older youths, mainstream English-language channels, and the two highest rated Spanish language channels.
An aggregate of 5,724 commercials were taped. Of these, 1,162 were food-related. Kids were shown an average of 5.2 food related commercials per hour. Of these commercials, more than 70 percent were for unhealthful foods (foods with high sugar and/or excessive fat content), which add to childhood obesity. Thirty-four percent of the advertisements were for fast-food restaurants and convenience items.
The greatest percentage of food-related advertisements were seen on children’s networks, where the ads were mostly for sugary cereals and sweets, high-fat foods, fast-food restaurant fare, and snacks. Likened with television for a general audience, children’s networks exposed its watchers to 76 percent more food advertisements each hour than the other networks. Children that watch TV on a children’s network during Saturday morning from 7 to 10 AM see approximately one food commercial per eight minutes.
Older children continue to be exposed to unhealthful food ads. The researchers watched programming such as the music videos offered by BET and MTV. They reported that 80 percent of the MTV food advertisements were for fast food restaurants, sugary beverages, and sweets.
The authors of the study, which was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, wrote that “Study after study has documented the adverse health effects of food advertising targeting children and adolescents.” They continued to state that “School- and family-based programs that have attempted to reduce children’s media use have shown promise.” But because children are shown food advertisements via other media, especially the Internet, the authors propose the introduction of “nutrition-focused media literary interventions” to help young people understand the economic motivations of food advertisers and the methods the industry uses to increase market for their products. These efforts, along with others, may help slow down the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.
Here is your free guide to healthful cooking. For more information about some of the causes of childhood obesity visit Facts About Childhood Obesity.
