One of the major challenges faced by public health in developed world today is childhood obesity, and this is predominant in Canada and the United States. The level of childhood obesity in Canada has increased enormously over the past decades. It was reported that over 26 per cent of Canadian children between ages of 6 to 17 years are overweight or obese which is approximately two times higher the rates three decades ago (Kent, Dubois, & Wanless, 2013). There are various chronic health problems that are related to childhood obesity which seems insurmountable to Canadian health care system. Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease and hypertension are reported to be the main contributing factors to the total direct cost (approximately 2.4 per cent of the total health care costs) of obesity in Canada ( Ball & McCargar, 2003). Studies have demonstrated that there is an association between advertising of foods and beverages and childhood obesity. They contend that advertisements directed to children influences their food preferences, consumption habits, and purchase requests (Kent, Dubois, & Wanless, 2012). Vast majority of these advertisements are foods and beverages with low nutrients, high fat diet, sugar, and sodium which are usually marketed to children on television and internet (Kent et al., 2012).
Since internet is now ubiquitous, food and beverage companies find advertising on internet more appealing due to the fact that it is cost effective in relative to television marketing (Kent et al., 2013). Similarly, it was also reported that 30 per cent of grades 6 to 12 children spend over 2 hours of their leisure time on computers every day (Kent et al., 2013). The World Health Organization (WHO) realizes that childhood obesity i...
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...bois, L., & Wanless, A. (2012). A nutritional comparison of foods and beverages marketed to children in two advertising policy environments. Obesity, 20(9), 1829-1837.
Kent, M.P, Dubois, L., & Wanless, A. (2011). Self-regulation by industry of food marketing is having little impact during children's preferred television. International Journal Of
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Raine, K. D., Lobstein, T., Landon, J., Kent, M. P., Pellerin, S., Caulfield, T., ... & Spence, J. C.
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Healthy Weights Dialogue Report. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/ohof-nsna/summ-somm-eng.php#a1
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Americans are constantly facing obstacles to healthy eating. Obesity is something that is growing rapidly in the United States. Some Americans argue that fast-food restaurants play a major role in obesity. In “Preventing Obesity” Barbara Mantel states, “Four of the companies — Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Hershey and Mars — pledge not to advertise any food and beverage products on programming for children younger than 12, and the remaining firms pledge that 100 percent of their children's advertising would be for self-designated ‘better-for-you’ products ” (805-806). Whenever children see a junk-food or candy commercial they are instantly attracted to it, it might be because of how colorful they are or the usual toy they receive when they buy kids
Forsyth, K., Taylor, R., Kramer, J., Prior, S., Richie, L., Whitehead, J., Owen, C., & Melton, M.
Youth obesity is an escalating problem which causes harmful, unfavourable effects and can intensify and become fatal when it is carried on into adulthood (Chou, Rashad & Grossman, 2005). Such harmful effects of obesity include various cancers, cardiovascular, orthopaedic and metabolic diseases and several other disorders such as psychiatric complications (Lobstein and Dibb, 2005). From this, it is undeniable that identifying the relationship between the advertising of junk food and the increased rate in youth obesity is essential in order to generate suggestions or methods in which this may be prevented or reduced significantly. Advocates of health have been attentive towards the obesity epidemic and have been meticulously focusing on advertising as a causative factor as advertisements are consistently promoting junk food on television (Harris, Bargh and Bronwell, 2009). Suc...
Denton, C. A., Vaughn, S., Tolar, T. D., Fletcher, J. M., Barth, A. E., & Francis, D. J. (3013).
This article is published on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website; which is dedicated to increasing the knowledge of health problems and obesity. There is no specific author, but this article helps the website based on the new studies that have been found. They have percentages of children seeing ads each day and a follow up from the studies in 2010; which increases the liability of the website and the information on it. Some of the main points would be that the epidemic is decreasing. Children see many fast food ads every day and they stick in the child’s mind; which is how the producers grab the children’s attention, by having the best and most exciting advertisement. Restaurants should provide healthier options when one would like dine out. The circumstance is the obesity epidemic, but how it is slowly becoming better. The purpose of this article to is make people more aware and make thei...
According to “Burger Battles” from the Weekly Reader, obesity is defined as a person whose weight is 20 percent higher than recommended for their height (Burger Battles 1). When this condition begins to affect children lives, it is then known as childhood obesity. Within the United States of America, around 15 percent of children are considered to be obese (Holguin 3). Increasing tremendously, this outbreak has actually tripled in the amount of obese teen and doubled in children up to the age of thirteen (Burger Battles 2). One of the factors that is usually overlooked in the cause for obesity is the role of television. Not only does it reduce the amount of physical activity, the advertisements and commercials are targeting innocent viewers. In a survey completed by Gary Ruskin of Commercial Alert, the average child watches nearly 19 hours and 40 minutes of television a week (Ruskin 2). With that amount of time spent watching television, advertisements for fast food will be entering the children’s minds.
The use of video games, television, and the internet consumes children’s free time. In the Physical Activities article it states, “Children and adolescents spend an average of five and a half hours a day using media that includes TV, video games, computer activities, and the Internet” (917). These hours spent on electronics have consequences, children are not receiving the amount of exercise needed to keep them from gaining weight. Parents should encourage their children to spend less time on electronics and more time spent participating in physical activities. Children learn by example, so parents hold the responsibility for installing these healthy lifestyle habits in their children. According to Mahmood, “Studies’ suggested that parents should encourage outdoor play since children of active mothers were twice as likely to be active as children of inactive mothers” (9). To prevent obesity in Children, parents need to limit the amount the use of electronics and encourage their children to participate in physical activities that will burn calories and keep them from gaining excessive
Ornstein, R., Rosen, D., Mammel, K., Callahan, S., Forman, S., Jay, M., Fisher, M., Rome, E., &
In the documentary Killer at Large, former Surgeon General Richard Carmona remarked that “Obesity is a terror within. It’s destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out…” Carmona is indeed right, with the rapid increase of obese children, America is on the fast track to producing a generation with a life expectancy shorter than their peers. One of the main factor is the media representation of obesity (Greenstreet 2008). In today’s society parents are not only worrying about televisions influence on their kid’s behavior but their weight and health, too. According to study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, that researched the role of media in childhood obesity, stated the obesity increased by 2% for every hours of television in adolescent’s ages 12 to 17. The advertisement of food and beverages present a very strong influence on the children. Most of the products being advert...
Looking around, candy, soda water and junk food are in the hands of fellow classmates. Simply walking down the street countless unhealthy food advertisement are seen and influence our choices as they are intended to do. In America, one in three children, about 22 million children, are obese or overweight, and that number is only rising. The government must aid in the fight against childhood obesity and reform the influence of unhealthy food in children’s lives, increase the availability of beneficial foods, mandate physical education, and inform our children of healthy habits.
Stuart, G. L., Moore, T. M., Elkins, S. R., O’Farrell, T. J., Temple, J. R., Ramsey, S. E.,
Food advertising contributes to childhood obesity in many ways. One of them being that the food advertised is unhealthy. “The mechanism of effect of media exposure on obesity may also operate through the extensive advertising messages for unhealthy foods targeted at children.” (Agarwal, Dhanasekaran) The food advertising geared towards children makes them develop unhealthy eating habits, and choices. The advertisements are usually advertising unhealthy foods, never healthy ones. “When children watch television, they cannot escape food advertising. “Sugared snacks and drinks, cereal, and fast food advertisements respectively comprise approximately thirty-two percent, thirty-one percent, and nine percent of all advertisements marketed specifically to children.” (Termini, Roberto, Hostetter) Due to limited cognitive abilities, children view many food advertisements, and don’t really have the knowledge or capability to comprehend that the food being advertised is not healthy.
Wilcox, A., Jones, S. S., Dorr, D. A., Cannon, W., Burns, L., Radican, K., & Clayton,
Ellis, B.J., Bates, J.E., Dodge, K.A., Fergusson, D.M, Horwood, L.J., Pettit, G.S., & Woodard, L.