Media Influences on Childhood Obesity - 1272 Words

Recently my 13 year old brother received his second phone, an IPhone 4s. I could not believe it a 13 year old carrying around one of the best pieces of technology in our world. Since then my brother’s free time outside running around has decreased drastically. His eyes and hands are glued to his IPhone 4s. Finding him playing basketball or throwing a football around in my yard when I go home on the weekends has become less and less. This is just one of thousands of children whose physical activity has suffered due to technology. Today our society has created the perception to children that without the latest technology they are not ‘cool’ or even worse poor. Kids then beg their parents for updated technology in order to fit in. Face it†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"A recent examination of the nutritional content of food ads during children’s programming found that 72.5% were for high-calorie, low-nutrient products; 26.6% were for high-fat or high-sug ar products: and just 0.9% were for low-calorie, nutrient-rich products† (Powell, Schermbeck). Even web sites promote unhealthy food products which create a bad perception for a healthy lifestyle for kids. Gaming web sites particularly, market poor-nutrient foods targeted for children. Research has shown that food advertising companies have strategized an effective selling plan towards children. Companies rely on features that appeal to children: happy, colorful, vibrant, exciting and fun. There are very little food product advertisements promoting fruits and vegetables. These influences shape children’s nutritional knowledge, eating practices and weight status. All in all television exposure is linked to diet misconceptions. The misconceptions have a domino effect on children’s food preference and choices which then poorly effects children’s unhealthy weight status. The obesity epidemic needs to be controlled one step at a time. The first step includes eliminating the multiple influences encouraging children to eat these low-nutrient, high-calorie food items. Two distinct ways to terminate media as a contributor to childhood obesity is to limit screen time and limit unhealthy food advertisement to the youth (Kunkel).Show MoreRelatedHealthy Choices for Better Living Essay1588 Words   |  7 PagesDoes the media truly influence and play and key role in childhood obesity? Can we hold the media responsible for our food purchases and meals that we as a society choose to provide our children? Certainly there are a multitude of influences in the media and yes, they are geared toward our children. 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