Contents:
- Medical Video: The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial
- Television advertisements encourage children to eat unhealthy foods
- Advertisements turned out to have a big influence on obesity in children
Medical Video: The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial
Television has now become a "food" for everyday children. In fact, maybe more time is spent by the child in front of the television than playing outside with his friend. A study found that children aged 8-18 years spent more time in front of a computer screen and television (44.5 hours per week) than doing other activities, except sleeping. Not surprisingly, television advertising can then affect various aspects of a child's life, including his eating behavior. This makes advertising and obesity in children strongly related.
Television advertisements encourage children to eat unhealthy foods
The habit of watching television makes children more exposed to food advertisements on television. Children have a tremendous ability to remember content in advertisements. This then makes children more susceptible to following invitations like in advertisements, to consume soft drinks for example. Repeated exposure to television advertisements continues to encourage children to buy advertised food products.
After all, children aged 8-12 years have entered a stage where they begin to build eating habits, determine their own food choices, and also have the freedom to have their own money and spend money to get food. This makes it easier for children to get unhealthy food, as often seen in television commercials.
A study shows that every one hour increase in watching television per day can increase consumption of sweet drinks, fast food, and processed meat in young children. Another study published by Health Psychology in 2009 also showed that advertising can affect a person's eating behavior.
The research was conducted by giving a cartoon show followed by food advertisements in elementary school children. As a result, children consume 45% more food when exposed to food advertisements.
Advertisements turned out to have a big influence on obesity in children
Obesity in children increases in number over time. This is inseparable from the daily consumption patterns of children. The habit of eating unhealthy foods encourages children to continue to gain weight and eventually become obese.
One factor that influences unhealthy eating habits in children is advertising on television. So that indirectly, advertising and obesity in children are related. Research has also shown that there is a strong relationship between increased exposure to food advertisements that are malnourished and obese in childhood.
The advertisement of food that children see on television is intended to influence the desire of children so that they want to buy it and try it. If the food is liked by the child, the child will continue to buy it. There is a study that proves that 32.85% of children aged 4-5 years ask their parents to buy products such as in advertisements, 40.3% of children want their parents to buy the products they see in advertisements, 13.5% of children tell the products they look at advertisements, and 8.9% of children insist on buying products and crying while watching advertisements. It can be seen that advertising greatly influences children's desire to buy food products.
Bad, usually foods advertised and desired by children are foods that are high in calories and poor in nutrition. So, this food will only contribute additional calories to children, which then leads to obesity. Some of the foods that children usually want to buy while shopping are sweets, chocolate, snacks, soft drinks, milk and milk products, and processed meat.
