Unhealthy Food Causes Obese Children

Unhealthy food causes obese children
Chris Blanks
DeVry University

Advertisement of Unhealthy food causes obese children Unhealthy food has been a growing issue in America for a long time. Many fast food restaurants prepare unhealthy food for people to eat and spend thousands of dollars a year to advertise their unhealthy foods in various media outlets. These outlets include but not limited to TV, Radio, Billboards, and Internet. Many of these advertisements are set up to attract kids. For example, Kids eat free advertisements are one of the highly focused ads that some of these fast food restaurants use to entice customers. Because of these advertisements of unhealthy foods, our American kids are becoming obese. Driving to the mall during the week with your kids and as you look up and around you there are billboard and restaurants as far as your eyes can see; kids eat free, get a free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal, kids eat free every day in march, kids eat free every Tuesday. These types of ads persuade you to want to eat at the restaurant so you avoid doing two things; cook and paying for your kids to eat. You are now sacrificing having a healthy meal vs. saving money. You ask your kids what they want to eat and they burst out McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. It would be much healthier if you would just buy groceries to cook at home, but instead you teach your kids that it is ok to go out and eat at these fast food restaurants that are serving unhealthy foods. Junk food makers have been targeting children through internet advertising, chat rooms, text messages and “advergames” on websites. A survey by the Food Commission in 2005 found that most big food brands had websites and many have sites specifically aimed at children as young as six (Boseley, 2006). Many of these ads have downloadable coupons or codes that can be used to get free food or discounts off food at a restaurant. For example you can text the word “roast beef” to Arby’s text number to receive a free roast beef sandwich with the purchase of a small drink. McDonalds has a sign posted on the entrance door for you to text to their text number to receive discounts and coupons by text message. These type of advertisements encourages people who text on their phones to participate in the restaurants promotions of their unhealthy foods. There has been hard evidence, by the Food Standards Agency, blaming television advertising for the excessive consumption of junk food that is causing an increase of obesity among young people. In spite of protestations of innocence by the food manufacturers and advertisers, it established beyond reasonable doubt that advertising influences what children eat as well as the brands they prefer. (Carvel, 2003). A lot of the promotion of food to children was dominated by television advertising Pre-sugared cereals, soft drinks, savoury snacks, and fast food outlets. Companies that sold the top 10 brands in 2002 spent $339 million dollars on advertising these unhealthy foods on television (Carvel, 2003). The chief medical officer said that in the previous five years before 2002 the proportion of overweight children aged six to 15 had increased by 7% and obese youngsters of the same age by 3.5% (Carvel, 2003). Looking at these 3 points above you can conclude that yes advertisement of unhealthy food is causing a rise in our children to become obese. What can be done about this is for the parents to start actively taking responsibility for what their kids eat on a daily basis. They need to start cooking healthy food at home and stop buying into these kids eat free ads just to save a dollar. Saving a dollar is only causing health problems for their kids which can end up costing more dollars in the long run when their child is diagnosed with type II diabetes.

References
Works Cited
Boseley, S. (2006, September 6). Junk food makers using internet to target chilldren, says watchdog. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from theguardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/sep/06/advertising.food?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
Carvel, J. (2003, September 26). Tv ads blamed for rise in child obesity. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from theguardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/sep/26/advertising.politics

References: Works Cited Boseley, S. (2006, September 6). Junk food makers using internet to target chilldren, says watchdog. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from theguardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/sep/06/advertising.food?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 Carvel, J. (2003, September 26). Tv ads blamed for rise in child obesity. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from theguardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/sep/26/advertising.politics