The Impact of Advertising on Childhood Obesity
The Impact of Advertising on Childhood Obesity
In the digital world of advertising, large companies have a huge impact on children’s lives. Billion dollar fast food companies such as McDonalds and Burger King use persuasive techniques that attract young children to eat at their establishment. According to the American Psychological Association in their report, The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity, “Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed”. This shows that with the increase in media and advertising in this new age, childhood obesity is also following at a fast rate. Advertising to children affects their diet, and overall health. In the last quarter century alone, America’s youth obesity rates have almost tripled (“The Impact”). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates have gone from 5.0% to 12.4% between ages 2 to 5. Between the ages 6 and 11, rates have gone from 6.5% to an astounding 17.0%, and between ages 12 and 19, obesity rates have more than tripled from 5.0% to 17.6%. These numbers show drastic increases in obesity from ages 2 to 19. According to the Business Insider, U.S. children ages 6 to 11 watched on average 253.6 advertisements for McDonalds in 2012 (Feloni). This is only for McDonalds advertisements on television and is still almost a McDonalds advertisement every day. The next highest amount of advertisements was from Subway with 81.2 advertisements per year ages 6 to 11. These numbers are only for advertisements on television also. According to the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average child views more than 3000 advertisements – per day; this includes television, the Internet, billboards, and magazines. Advertisers are trying to target younger and younger children to establish a “brand-name preference” as young as possible. This is all possible because the advertising industry is a
In the digital world of advertising, large companies have a huge impact on children’s lives. Billion dollar fast food companies such as McDonalds and Burger King use persuasive techniques that attract young children to eat at their establishment. According to the American Psychological Association in their report, The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity, “Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed”. This shows that with the increase in media and advertising in this new age, childhood obesity is also following at a fast rate. Advertising to children affects their diet, and overall health. In the last quarter century alone, America’s youth obesity rates have almost tripled (“The Impact”). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates have gone from 5.0% to 12.4% between ages 2 to 5. Between the ages 6 and 11, rates have gone from 6.5% to an astounding 17.0%, and between ages 12 and 19, obesity rates have more than tripled from 5.0% to 17.6%. These numbers show drastic increases in obesity from ages 2 to 19. According to the Business Insider, U.S. children ages 6 to 11 watched on average 253.6 advertisements for McDonalds in 2012 (Feloni). This is only for McDonalds advertisements on television and is still almost a McDonalds advertisement every day. The next highest amount of advertisements was from Subway with 81.2 advertisements per year ages 6 to 11. These numbers are only for advertisements on television also. According to the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average child views more than 3000 advertisements – per day; this includes television, the Internet, billboards, and magazines. Advertisers are trying to target younger and younger children to establish a “brand-name preference” as young as possible. This is all possible because the advertising industry is a