THE EFFECTS OF FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS ON CHILDREN BY STEPHANIE DYE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION Food advertisements negatively impact children’s health Methods include: Using advertisements with cartoon characters or a form of directing them at children Caused by the United State’s lax regulations on advertisements.

RESEARCH PROVES HEALTHY ADVERTISEMENTS SUPPORT UNHEALTHY FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS. Streletskaya’s research supports that unhealthy advertisements combat the temptation of unhealthy foods, resulting in a positive outcome. Providing evidence that by implementing a tax on unhealthy foods, healthier foods become less expensive, causing a positive trend in decreasing obesity by attracting consumers to healthier products. Dixon’s research agrees with Streletskaya by supporting the effects of false claims of the nutritional benefits and values of children’s food that are claimed by the manufacturers, can be countered by the implementation of healthy advertisements Demonstrating the ability to grab the attention of child viewers and interesting them in their product. The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale conducted a study with children’s cereals being a popular food item targeted at children. Researchers found that the claims made on cereals were mainly targeted towards children. These claims are used to draw in consumers to their product in the hopes of leading them to purchasing their product. Current research provides overwhelming data that supports the conclusion that food advertisements contain the power and ability to cause children to make healthier options when anti-obesity methods are instituted such as healthy food advertisements and taxes.

CHILDREN AND FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS INFLUENCE CHILDREN’S EATING BEHAVIORS Dixon’s study proved a commonality between the actual consumption of unhealthy food and the viewing of unhealthy advertisements. George Ginu’s supports Dixon in his research indicating that a large majority of children (98.3%) have an influence in what they are being fed. Ginu’s research suggests that a child’s decision, when it comes to food choice, tends to have a major factor in the decisions made as opposed to the parent/adult figure The American Psychological Association (APA) conducted a study agreeing to the studies performed by Social Science & Medicine and George Ginu that an advertisement will affect a child, and a child does tend to have a large if not all the deciding factors when it comes to their food choices.

DIFFERENT REGULATIONS OF FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS IN COUNTRIES ALLOW DIFFERENT INFLUENCES. The Prevention Institute discovered that in the United States, low standards and regulations are in place for children's advertisements, concluding this to be a negative impact in children. Dr. Nestle, of New York University studied other countries such as Australia who have completely banned any food advertisement directed towards a child under the age of 14, while the Netherlands and Sweden have them banned from age 12 and younger, eradicating the possibility of an advertisement affecting a child. Researcher Leigh Gantner supported Dr. Nestle’s claim with evidence that concluded that over 50 percent of the food advertisements shown were classified under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Guide Pyramid to fall under a fat, oil, or sweet category (2).

IN CONCLUSION Current research provides overwhelming data that supports the conclusion that food advertisements contain the power and ability to impact a child’s nutritional choice. Food advertisements directed towards children have the ability to negatively impact their health Hopefully will encourage the government to better regulate food advertisements aimed at children Results could include: Lower obesity levels in children Healthier lives Companies giving more truthful information concerning nutritional values of foods

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