TV Ads Themselves Contribute to Child Obesity
Researchers performed a statistical analysis of children s television viewing habits and found a link between the amount of time spent viewing fast food commercials and a risk of obesity. They suggest it is not the snacking done in front of the TV or the hours kids spend like couch potatoes, not exercising, that is making them fat. Rather, it is the suggestive messages in ads and the frequency of those messages that leads children to seek out not-so-good-for-you foods. The researchers are quick to point out that their data do not indicate that overweight children watch more TV than other kids, but it does imply that higher incidences of fast food ads lead people to put on more weight. Their model also suggests that the number of overweight children in the U.S. could be decreased by as much as 18 percent if these advertisements were banned from children s television programs. The findings appear in the Journal of Law and Economics. In recent years, the Institute of Medicine has focused its attention on the diet and health of children in the United States, calling for a concerted effort to address the disturbing obesity trend. Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? examined the impact of food and beverage marketing aimed at children, concluding that it leads kids 12 and under to request and consume high-calorie, low-nutrient products. In Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, IOM recommended immediate steps for industry, government, and families to curtail childhood obesity, including developing federal guidelines for advertising and marketing to children and youth. Two years later, Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? followed up with a progress report on the nation's efforts and recommended further steps to stem the tide of childhood obesity.
