Summary Of Food Advertising And Childhood Obesity

About 17% of children in the United States are obese (Center for Disease Control, 2014). Studies suggest that the environment in which a child lives, influences his or her risk dietary behaviors (Center for Disease Control, 2014). A specific external factor, the food and beverage industry, has been declared as one of these influences (Center for Disease Control, 2014). However, studies suggest that this “influence” could be more of a direct link. Therefore, is there a correlation between television food advertising and childhood obesity?

Background

It is known that there is a direct link between junk food and poor health. What might not be known is that there are, on average, two billion dollars spent on marketing that junk food to children

The food companies monies are well spent, for a child watches an average of over ten food-related ads a day (Prevention Institute, 2011). Nearly all of the advertised food products are high in fat, sugar or sodium, thus classifying them as unhealthy, low nutrient dense foods (Prevention Institute, 2011). Children who consume foods packed with fat, sugar, and sodium on a regular basis are increasing their risk of having health problems and concerns, particularly obesity, in the future (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Obesity, according the the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), is classified as “having excess body fat”. The number of obese children has doubled in the past 30 years, from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). This increase means that more children are having the health complications associated with obesity than ever before: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, pre diabetes (a condition where blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for developing diabetes), bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, poor self esteem, and social stigmatization (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Children who are obese

The intended goal of the experiment was to determine if “exposure to food advertising during television viewing may also contribute to obesity by triggering automatic snacking of food available” (Harris, 2009). The participants used in this study were elementary-school-aged students and adults. The experiment was broken down into two separate parts. In experiment number 1a, the children were used to test the hypothesis that children would eat more snacks while watching a cartoon that included food advertising than if not exposed to the advertisement at all (Harris, 2009). In experiment 1b, the same hypothesis was being tested but the children recruited were from a more socioeconomic and diverse background, as well as served with a participant incentive of a twenty dollar gift card (Harris, 2009). There was a total of 118 children participating in both 1a and 1b, aged from 7-11 (Harris, 2009). The children's body weight, height, and ethnicity were all collected prior to the experiment. The children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) were then calculated and compared to the age and sex percentile norms according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention: 3% of the participants were underweight, 62% were normal weight, 21% were at risk of being overweight, and 14% were overweight (Harris, 2009). In addition