Kids Watch 11,000 TV Ads A Year: Junk Foods Are Number One Sell
A study published in the September 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health found children's television shows are full of advertisements for "nutrient-poor, high sugar foods." The study, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation, concluded that the ads influence parents to buy their children snack foods that have no nutritional value. This in turn contributes to America’s obesity epidemic among children.
Dr. Kirsten Harrison and Amy Marske, working at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL, watched forty hours of television beamed at children ages 6 to 11 years old over a five-week period in 2003. The shows had over 1400 advertisements, or about 10.6 per hour. About 30% of the ads were for food. Candy, sweets, soft drinks and fast foods were the most frequent, followed distantly by ads for cereals and breads.
Most of the television ads showed thin white male children snacking rather than eating at mealtimes. While the ads often plugged "natural ingredients" and other healthful slogans, most featured foods had very little nutritional value and a high sugar content.
Dr. Harrison wrote that the average American child watches over 11,000 television ads per year. Children ages 6 to 11 years often have the money to buy the foods they see in the ads, or influence their parents to do so. She concluded that parents should limit the amount of television their children watch not only because television watching makes them less active but also because it teaches them to want junk food. She noted that groups like the American Psychological Association have called for the restriction of such ads on children's television.
Dr. Kirsten Harrison and Amy Marske, working at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL, watched forty hours of television beamed at children ages 6 to 11 years old over a five-week period in 2003. The shows had over 1400 advertisements, or about 10.6 per hour. About 30% of the ads were for food. Candy, sweets, soft drinks and fast foods were the most frequent, followed distantly by ads for cereals and breads.
Most of the television ads showed thin white male children snacking rather than eating at mealtimes. While the ads often plugged "natural ingredients" and other healthful slogans, most featured foods had very little nutritional value and a high sugar content.
Dr. Harrison wrote that the average American child watches over 11,000 television ads per year. Children ages 6 to 11 years often have the money to buy the foods they see in the ads, or influence their parents to do so. She concluded that parents should limit the amount of television their children watch not only because television watching makes them less active but also because it teaches them to want junk food. She noted that groups like the American Psychological Association have called for the restriction of such ads on children's television.
posted by Wellspring Camps at 10:05 AM
1 Comments:
I found this post quite interesting, partly due to the fact that a good amount (30%) of the TV ads viewed by children were for food, specifically fast food and unhealthy snacks. This is unsettling because it gives kids the wrong idea about what they should be eating. I completely agree that parents should be aware of how much television their children are watching. A good point was made that not only is watching TV a sedentary activity, keeping kids from physical activity, but in addition it involves advertisements promoting kids’ interest in junk food. Fortunately however, an article was published by Jon Land two days ago stating that in 2008 commercials for unhealthy food products will be banned during programs appealing to adolescents under age 16. This will hopefully not only directly reduce kids’ exposure to such foods, but also indirectly diminish the adverse consequences to their body that comes from eating sweets and fats. I think it is particularly alarming that the study found that the ads “influence parents to buy their children snack foods that have no nutritional value,” because these parents are essentially aiding in the child obesity epidemic. Parents should avoid buying these kinds of snacks and encourage more outdoor activity. They should also emphasize the importance of sit-down family meals as opposed to advocating snacking in front of the TV. It is up to parents to start changing the harmful lifestyle of their kids who are overweight.
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