...Shedding light on the marketing of junk food to children Shedding light on the marketing of junk food to children Imagine, if you will, a big pile of money. Let’s call it a million dollars. It’s all yours to spend, any way you want. What would you buy? An hour later you get another million to spend. Now what would you do with that money? How about if you got another million dollars an hour later — and kept it up around the clock, all year long? Well, now imagine that deluge of money aimed right at our kids — spent convincing them to eat and drink more and more of the foods and beverages that are least healthy for them. That’s how much money the food and beverage industry in the U.S. spends to reach our children with their messages. One million dollars an hour, every hour of every day, targeted at children and youth. It adds up to $10 to $12 billion dollars a year spent on youth marketing alone. Marketing to children needs to be abolished because it is endangering children’s lives and is extremely out of control. Marketing to children has helped to contribute to the decline in the health of children. Since 1980, overweight rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease more than one out of every three U.S. children born in 2000 is expected to get diabetes in their lifetime.. According to the CDC, among overweight children between 5 and 10 years of age, 60 percent already have at least one cardiovascular...
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...The experiment I chose is titled "My Children: The Food Experiment". In summary, this experiment consists of two parents who confine their children from any appealing desserts, promotions, and logos. Their goal was to have their kids discover what they like or dislike through a direct contact. The parents encouraged them to explore everything for themselves. They did not want to have anyone disclosing what they should or should not eat. To my surprise, the children found foods that grow from the ground more desirable rather than sweets and sodas. In the end, when the children started school they admitted they were the main ones who attached to greens and they loved it. I believe this analysis was definitely outlined and it worked. The parents...
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...Have you ever thought about why you are addicted to a certain type of food or treat? Most Americans in the United States are addicted to many types of fast food or restaurants, and if you are to, don’t worry it’s not your fault. So this gets us to the main question. How do fast food marketers target children? According to an important source called “the myth of choice: how junk food marketers target our children” fast food managers or marketers target children like me and you by placing ads about “delicious” fast food companies like McDonalds. Think of this, every time you see a fast food restaurant commercial on television, the food on the commercial looks super good. This is how the grab your attention and make you buy the product they sell....
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...Appropriate Use of Technology Nutrition through the Life Cycle Obesity in children Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Physicians and researchers did numerous studies on children’s habits and lifestyles as an important part of society. Nowadays, children face big problems with obesity. As a result, researchers have learned that healthy habits could have a profound impact on the future of every child and get a better understanding of how children perceive healthy eating. Researchers have proved and would like to emphasize that obesity has tripled in Canadian children in recent decades. For this reason, researchers have identified that healthy behaviors have numerous benefits. By making healthy food choices and explaining the nutritional value of various foods to children will improve the lifestyle of every child and make children’s health better. After a large quantity of interviews that were used to collect data on what food children prefer to eat and why it was discovered that they have bad eating habits and lifestyle. Researchers have found that only 75% of children understood healthy eating by identifying what is healthy food and what is junk food. Almost all children have mentioned eating fruits and vegetables. Findings suggested that children had previously heard or thought about these topics. As a result, these...
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...control by 2018, 40% of the children in America will be obese. According to Ann Cooper, the most noticeable cause for childhood obesity is today’s children, is the way that children eat at school. The schools supply the children with food served in bulks and are less expensive, instead of supplying them with nutritional meals. In order for schools in America to help with weight issues of school age children they must be will to replace the food with healthy alternatives. The foods served at private and public schools are processed foods and are highly unhealthy for children. Children need foods garden grown and will be fresh when children go to receive their lunch. Ann Cooper found in her research, if schools don’t change their system children would not receive nutritional foods that will help aid in loosing weight and giving them a energy. The ramifications of not making these changes would be harmful to today’s young children, whereas it could be prevented if schools would provide healthier lunches during school hours. The reason for this study is to help inspire families, members of the church, communities, and school officials to advocate change in the different types of foods that children will receive while in school. Through giving the proper education to school officials and parents the comprehensive changes in the consumption of food will occur. Children are the most important part of today’s population and mostly affected by food that lacks nutrition and are...
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...Annotated Bibliography: Commercially Convenient for Children In every grocery isle, the lowest shelf is reserved for food placed there for a certain consumer by the food marketers. Ranging from cookies, to cereal, and to snacks, these products are specifically aimed at children. They are placed lower so that children can recognize their products from commercials or other media and select them when grocery shopping with their parents. This is only one form of impression that food marketers are leaving on children of all ages. Whether good food or junk food, all food marketers are spending billions of dollars to advertise to one age group: children. Ranging from birth to 17 years, children and young adults are unknowingly programmed by their surroundings everyday to eat whatever the food industry wants them to. In my research paper, I will be analyzing food advertisement geared towards children; specifically how these advertisements affect their health and diets. My position on food marketing is that it is too influential on children and that it needs to be more regulated, either by parents or by the government. Someone needs to take a stand for children so that when they are older, they can live healthy and fulfilling lives. The research I have conducted supports this claim that food marketers, in order to lower the obesity rate in children, need to be more heavily regulated. I also find that the sources I have selected cover the food industry well and will prove to be well-chosen...
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...become an epidemic in the United States, thanks in part to fast food advertising and manufacturing tactics, and this has resulted in more children diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol and long term psychological problems. Humans have continually adapted to the ever-changing variables in our environment. One of the most vital of these variables is food. Long ago, the frequency and quantity of our food intake were directly dependent on what we could hunt or forage. Today, in most first world countries, food is no longer a precious commodity to be saved and stored. Fast and convenient foods are never more than a few minutes away. These low-hanging fruits are in fact, far from being simple fruits. They are cheap, tasty, addictive, processed and nutritionally devoid - and they are being marketed directly to children. It's these advertising and manufacturing techniques that are largely contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity here in the United States. A disturbingly high number of children are being diagnosed with a host of food-related problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and long term psychological issues. Thanks in part to the highly effective advertising and manufacturing tactics used by fast food giants, American fast food culture has spread around the world and obesity has followed. People in countries like China, India and Japan have deserted traditional diets in favor of fast food, and the rates of obesity and associated diseases have also...
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...the last two decades the percentages of overweight children has tripled (“Surgeon General’s call”, 2012). Being obese can affect more than just health. For a child, being obese can cause physical, social, and psychological damage, and can ultimately affect the child’s overall quality of life which can follow the child into adulthood (Maziak, Ward, & Stockton, 2007). The food industry has not made significant improvements to production or food marketing toward children. Therefore parents must take control of childhood obesity to help with a better future for America’s youth. Research suggests that childhood obesity rates will continue to rise because children are targeted by marketing strategies, the food industry is not showing signs that substantial changes to marketing and production targeting youth that are needed will happen any time in the near future and also because the evolution of society has aided in creating a sedentary lifestyle. Health and government officials have seen alarming statics in the increase of childhood obesity rates. The increase and health concerns have had severe enough increases that officials are referring to the situation as an epidemic. Some of the risk factors associated with obesity are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Two of the leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease and cancer, obesity is a large contributing factor to these diseases (“Unregulated Food Advertising, 2012). Because of the seriousness...
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...Childhood Obesity Kendall Stubbs Western Governors University WGU Student ID #428887 Childhood Obesity Weight in children is a critical well-being issue in the United States. The overall life expectancy of Americans is declining for the first time in many years. Changes need to be made inside the home, in order for this issue to be resolved. The number of overweight adolescents has tripled subsequent to 1980, and the commonness among more youthful children has doubled. Looking at long term outcomes, overweight teenagers and children have a seventy percent possibility of becoming overweight or obese adults (Bishop, 2005). Childhood obesity has been one of the fastest emerging public health issues in the United States over the last few years. It is becoming a big problem and an important issue for a variety of reasons. To begin, there is a general lack of exercise due to technology; advertising and commercials for unhealthy foods that focus on children. Because fast food is cheaper and more convenient than eating healthy, it is becoming a more acceptable option for Americans today. Parental influence, along with the examples that they set for their children is another major concern to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity, television time, video games, and internet usage are undeniably related. Children spend approximately seven and a half hours per day with media. Four and a half hours of this time is spent watching television (Wethington 2007). There was...
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...Could you survive a month in the life of a person who is food insecure? The constant thought of wondering where your next meal will come from. Food insecurity refers to the lack of availability of food and an individual’s access to it. The image of food insecurity and hunger most people have is of individuals living in poor countries like Africa, however that is not accurate. Food insecurity and hunger is a big problem around the world, happening in powerful countries like the United States. In the year 2012, approximately “50 million Americans were food insecure” (A Place at the Table). These individuals live in hunger or fear of starvation, and in severely food insecure households the children experience hunger. These people could be your...
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...paper is for children affected by malnutrition in America. Malnutrition results from a diet which is lacking in nutrients and it affects children most because they are in great need of the right amount of nutrients in their growing years. Malnutrition is also associated with rich diet lacking in nutrients which is the case with many of the developed countries of the world. It is important to maintain health standards in world’s one of the most developed country like America. Malnutrition can result into a number of nutrition disorders which include abundance or deficiency of important nutrients required from food (Water H. R., Penny M. E., R. C., Narro R., Willis J., Caulfield L. E., & Black, 2008). The increased uptake of unhealthy food products is also one of the main reasons of malnutrition. Children aged less than 18 are the main victims of the food irregularities. The data collected in this paper includes the communities of America and according to statistics there are around 16 million children in America who live in food insecurity in recent times. The problem is rarely a concern for adults because they are more aware of their nutrition choices and adult body is developed and not requires a continued supply of nutrients which is the case with children. Children under the age of 5 years are at the greatest risk of developing malnutrition. There are food secure and food insecure states defined based on the findings of the Community health services for children suffering...
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...people in the world will assume that a fast food restaurant should be held responsible for the childhood obesity increase, when in fact the parents and kids who purchase and consume unhealthy foods are responsible for their own choices. We live in a society that has changed dramatically over the past decade or so. Many of these changes, such as both parents working outside of the home, longer work hours by both parents, and meals eaten outside of the home often affect what children eat, where they eat, and how much they eat. Many of these so called habits that people have accepted as a normal way of life are contributing to the growing levels of childhood obesity. It is a parent’s right and responsibility to make their own decisions and in choosing what is right for their children. Parents can and do have a say about what their kids eat. Most parents today are introducing junk foods and foods offered in fast food restaurants during their children’s early years. Parents play a role as household makers. They make the decisions on food availability in the home, and create the setting for what foods are being eaten. The temptations with all the commercials among other things for fast food that are out there being offered can be hard for a parent/kid to ignore. The trend of eating in a fast food restaurant seems to be becoming more convenient and a simple solution for families who may have a lack of time, or are just too tired to cook. Fast food is offered to so many at a low cost and...
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... What causes childhood obesity? Childhood obesity is a serious condition that affects over 25 million American Children. It is very important to completely comprehend the scope and nature of this epidemic. Children spend the majority of their day in school and most of them eat breakfast or lunch at least once a day in the school cafeteria. Is it possible that high calorie processed foods that are served in school cafeteria’s can be contributed to childhood obesity? In this paper, I will discuss the effects of childhood obesity, what I believe contributes to it, the proper nutrition that children need to stay healthy, and what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future. It is important to understand what our children are eating at school and if the foods they are eating can potentially cause them to become obese. Childhood obesity has escalated over the past decades and is only getting worse. According to The National Academies Press, (2005) “Nationwide, roughly nine million children over six years of age are obese— with elevated risks of both health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and poor quality of life, possibly throughout adulthood”. Obesity can cause numerous health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and even death. Obesity in our children is now, more than ever, becoming a serious threat. Obesity affects almost everyone, whether it is a family member, a friend, or even yourself. I...
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...percent of men and 27 percent of women are obese .In Malaysia,reports reveals that 49 percent of women and 44 percent of men in Malaysia were found to be obese (The Lancet,2014). As the sayings goes “the longer your waist line, shorter your lifeline.” U.N. World Health Organization report reveals that overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. However, the number of children who are obese is also growing at an alarming rate. Globally, in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five is estimated to be over 42 million. Currently, in Malaysia, 1 in every 5 school-going children is overweight or obese. In this paper,the first part we will discuss about what is obesity.The second part,we will explain the causes of childhood obesity.Lastly,we will suggest a few ideas can be implemented in the classroom on how to that adress the problem of obesity among preschool children. 2.0 CONTENT 2.1 DEFINE OBESITY What is obesity?According to World Health Organization(WHO),obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity is measured and defined in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is the numerical way of...
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...The Impact of Television Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity Lara Klein Abstract Childhood obesity is a growing problem around the world, especially in the United State that is notably harmful as its effects are not only temporary but can have long term effects that can be taken into adulthood. Children’s food preferences are influenced by television advertising that focuses directly at children. It is furthermore concluded that children exposed to high amounts of television advertisements make poor food choices which leads to poor food consumption. Among other factors, parental influence is also critical and can change a child’s behavior towards food advertisement and food choices. Parents should look out to communicate advertisements’ effects to their children, and restrict the amount of time their children spend in front of the television. Moreover, governmental restrictions should be implemented to avoid persuasion of buying unhealthy foods to children at younger ages. The Impact of Television Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity INTRODUCTION According to Bacardi-Gascon and Jimenez-Cruz (2015), childhood obesity is a very serious topic in the United States these days, causing long term economic and social costs due to serious health problems, as well as an increase in morbidity and mortality. Research conducted by Bernhardt, Wilking, Gilbert-Diamond, Emond and Sargent has shown that the more television children watch, the likelihood that they are obese increases...
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