Children Fail The Eating Test Summary

The Advertisers article, “Children Fail the Eating Test”, published April 7, 2014 debates a very “hot” talked about topic in today’s society. The article discusses the lack of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables consumed by the average child aged 9 to 13 years old and what are supposedly the biggest reasons for this apparent lifestyle choice. Throughout the article there are very few perceptions taken into account, leading to a particularly bias article that may catch the attention many parents/caregivers.

The article’s headline alone immediately portrays the issue as negative using the brutal term “fail”. The word “children” is also used in the headline, which may predominantly target the likes of parents/ caregivers and educator’s attention. The image chosen to represent the article takes up approximately 1/3 of the page and is a photo of two children, a boy and a girl, smiling whilst eating from a
large bowl of fruit. The image suggests that the only way to “pass the test” is to consume an entirely healthy diet made up of fruit and vegetables. Whilst these foods are essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, uneducated parents and in some cases children, will be immediately off put by the image as it is suggesting that fruit is the only way to do it. There is a small table that is also placed in the article, which displays the recommended fruit and vegetable intakes for specific ages. This table is more beneficial and accurate than the image displayed in the article, in presenting the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake for children and is a far better, more realistic guideline for parents and children to follow.

Throughout the article there are a small number of perspectives and opinions given, however they all seem to be of those working as a health care professional. People who work in this profession are passionate and knowledgeable in this type of field; therefore it is easy to see why the author of the article would refer to expert’s opinions throughout. The author clearly limits themselves to one side of the argument, leading to the question of, is the article bias?

The article is quick to jump to the side of the health care professionals, whilst giving parents no say throughout the article, it can only be seen as unfair and somewhat prejudice. In a large portion of the article, parents, particularly mothers of children are essentially under the microscope and are blamed for the lack of fruit and vegetables in children’s daily intakes. The article itself refers to a prediction made by Dr. Zarnowiecki, which suggests that time-poor mother may be more reliant on take-away meals, contributing to lower consumption of fruit and vegetables. Dr. Zarnowiecki predicts this without any statistics to back up the statement and furthermore assumes that all take-away meals must be unhealthy. As the article is based in the City of Adelaide, SA, it is almost a certainty that at most hours of the day there would be a healthy option of take-away available. Another example of prejudice displayed in the article is the percentages of children whom are ‘failing’ the “Healthy Eating Test”, the article states that “only 35.6 per cent of boys and 33.3 per cent of girls aged 12-13 met the nation guideline of 3-4 serves of fruit a day”. This statement can come across as bias in a number of ways; to begin, the article only considers one of eight age brackets mentioned throughout article as failures of the test. Children aged 12-13 have a higher minimum fruit serving suggestion than any other age brackets maximum daily serving suggestion, consequently resulting in a much higher chance of not meeting the suggested intake.

The articles content came from studying 625 children from 27 different schools across the Adelaide region, thus there is a clear focus on educators and the education system, parents, and of course students throughout the article.
The author is quick to gather a number of likely reasons given by professionals in regards to the “failures” of the “eating test”. Dr. Patricia Montanaro, states healthy food choices should be available from school canteens and should be an easy choice for children. In saying that, who or what is guiding students of what is the wrong and right option regarding food choices. Dr. Montanaro suggests that the lack of advertising for healthy foods may also be the blame. If healthy foods were publicized as much as the likes of Fast foods, would children know what the correct decision is? Students and parents must be educated on why it may be a good or bad choice when choosing to eat particular foods, if students are aware of the possible consequences surrounding poor food choices, they will be more motivated to choose the healthy
option.

The Advertisers article, “Children Fail the Eating Test”, published April 7, 2014 focuses on a heavily discussed and debated topic in today’s society. Maintaining a healthy diet, particularly at a young age can help prevent obesity, which is becoming increasingly common Australia wide and can lead to a number of non-communicable and cardiovascular diseases. It is essential that educators are teaching children from a young age the benefits and consequences of different food choices, both healthy and unhealthy. It is equally as important that parents have a sound knowledge in this topic, as they have the ability to teach their children habits, both good and bad. The article puts a spotlight on children failing the eating test, rather than focusing on the negatives the article should focus more on informing readers on the consequences and benefits of healthy and unhealthy food choices.