How Media Drives Obesity Childhood and Simple Counter Tactics

One the most necessary indicators of the state of health of Americans today may epitomize the overmuch increasing rate of overweight and obese children. The Institute of Medicine has start that one - examination of American children are either obese or at risk for obesity. The Heart of Disease Management has commence that, since 1980, the proportion of obese children ages 6 - 11 has doubled and the number of fat adolescents has tripled.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the expansion in obesity childhood represents and unprecedented tax on children ' s health. " If we don ' t deal with children, this could copy the inaugural engendering that will alive sicker and die younger than its parents, " states Dr. James S. Marks, senior vice master of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which recently announced an unprecedented try to reverse obesity childhood epidemic by 2015.

Obesity or being overweight is not solitary harmful to the self - esteem and mental health of youngsters in a society that places corresponding steep monetary worth on thinness, but masterly are stern real health concerns because vigorous. According to Dr. Melissa A. Kalt, Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine / Pediatrics, overweight kids are set up for premature health risks not unlike being Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, great cholesterol, and prone down-and-out behavior in advise equaling inattentiveness, disruptiveness, truancy, and low grade multitude.

Some of the environmental factors that are meditation to contribute to obesity are: over consumption of hastily moveable feast, simple carbohydrates, soda, or other sky-high calorie, huge fat foods; larger and larger portion sizes; deficiency of exercise and / or farther sedentary lifestyles; unbefitting consumption of full foods, fruits and vegetables. However, what may produce underlying all of these factors or at the pure first off exacerbating the issue is children and media.

Facts:

According to the Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity of the Federal Communications Commission, children today spend manifold hours each season watching television and are influenced by the programming and advertising they gawk.

The Kaiser Family Foundation states that young children cannot distinguish between programming content and advertising.

The U. S. Congress, Children ' s Television Act of 1990 reports, by the chronology the average child is 18 elderliness control, he or lady has spent between 10, 000 and 15, 000 hours watching television and has been exposed to other than 200, 000 commercials.

Once research study documents that obesity in children increases the numerous hours they watch television. ( Crespo, 2001 )

Farther research study shows that children who timepiece heavier than three ours of television a pace are 50 percent more likely to put on obese than kids who digital watch fewer than two hours. ( Tremblay, 2003 )

New researcher reports that children who fitness a lot of media hold a lower activity regular which is linked to a higher proportion of obesity ( Vandewater, 2004 )

According to the 2004 report " The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity " by the Kaiser Family Foundation, " during the alike word in which obesity childhood has increased so dramatically, sharp has again been an uproar in media targeted to children: TV shows and videos, specialized message networks, tape games, computer activities and Internet Lacework sites. " And " much of the media targeted to children is laden with multiple advertising campaigns, legion of which nourish foods twin due to candy, soda, and snacks. "

The Advertising League reports that $10 - $15 billion is spent annually on kids ' tuck advertising.

One study documented approximately 11 diet commercials per hour during children ' s Saturday morning television programming, estimating that the average child viewer may substitute exposed to one board solicitation every 5 memoir ( Kotz, 1994 )

Added study fix that children ' s food choices were significantly impacted by which ads they axiom, i. e. either an ad for fruit or an ad for candy ( Gorn, 1982 )

Other researchers begin that for each further hour of television viewed per juncture, daily servings of fruits and vegetables decreased among adolescents maybe due to television advertising ( Boynton - Jarret, R, 2003 )

Tempo varied researchers and studies are still establishing the role of media in child obesity and obese issues, ( the direct link between advertising and obesity has not been officially notorious ), the advertisers certainly sense that TV ads obligation moment children ' s and family consumer choices. For representation, rapidly nutriment outlets alone spend $3 billion in television ads targeted to children. And according to " Advertising, Marketing and the Media: Utilitarian Messages from the Institute of Medicine of the Federal Academies, support and beverage advertisers collectively spend $10 billion to $12 billion a life to span children and childhood.

Accordingly, what ' s a parent to do to indemnify terrible advertisements and the big dollars unpunctual them? Here a few pointers on meed children act as greater healthy and fit:

Inceptive, educate them on the factors contributing to being rotund or obese:

1. Awfully much " fat foods " ( rapidly foods, simple carbs, soda, energy drinks, cereal etc. )

2. Larger than breath portion sizes

3. Not enough movement or exercise

4. Not enough full foods ( fruits, vegetables, whole wheat bread, complete grains etc. )

Second, dilute pinched ration choices in the home. Refuse to buy the sodas and sugar cereals or insist that these single substitute indulged in next a healthy meal.

Poll, make entire cookery choices manifest for them to prepare ( i. e. pre washed, cut up fruits and veggies; sand; smoothies; integral wheat bread; pre - cooked healthy snacks / meals cognate cubed unethical breast, string cheese, tough - boiled eggs, in single serviceable size containers. Make it tasty and basic ( survey half-formed smoothie technique below ).

Fourth, excite them to exercise ( i. e. refuse to drive them to ground; sign them up for sports; play with them outdoors; prompt a uncomely and verve for daily walks ). Make it fun.

Fifth, limit television hours per space. And implant them how they burden taciturn the commercials or " tevo " the program and hastily forward over the commercials.

And ultimately, nurture them that being fit and healthy means eating healthy foods and exercising, in direct idiosyncrasy to how television shows and advertisements portray super skinny persons eating pay and drinking soda, it ' s righteous not true. And educate them on the fact that advertisers make their almighty dollar by portraying stunning nation eating filth refreshment.

EASY, YUMMY recipe for "green smoothies":

Give Your Kids a Big Dose of Fresh, Raw Servings of Fruits and Vegetables

( shhhhh, tastes accordingly gratifying, your kids won ' t matching notice experienced is spinach in finished! )

1. Put about 2 cups water in the blender

2. Add a few handfuls of spinach or kale or chard, blend until smooth

3. Add fruit, 1 - 2 bananas and 1 - 2 C frozen blueberries or mixed berries or fruit etc.

4. If you urgency, add a shrimp amount of sweetener of choice.

5. Smoothie will put on sensuous and palatable and you ' d never recognize licensed were healthy greens hiding in the combine, Adore!

( Oomph for a green smoothie over a soda! Children who drink just one soft drink a day are 60 percent more likely to become obese, according to a 2001 study by Harvard University and Boston Children ' s Hospital. )

Check here "The Youth Fitness Solution" & Learn Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Child Lose Weight & Improve Their Health!

Sources:

Boynton - Jarret, R, et al, ( 2003 ) Impact of Television Viewing Patterna on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Adolescents, Pediatrics 112 ( 2003 ) 6: 1321 - 1326

Crespo, Carlos J. et al, ( 2001 ), Television Watching, Energy Intake, and Obesity in U. S. Children, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 155, 360 - 365

Eating Habits of Infants and Children Affect Health and Performance. HealthLink Medical College of Wisconsin.

healthlink. mcw. edu / article / 1031002925. html

Federal Communications Commission: Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity. fcc. gov / obesity /

Gorn, G, et al, Behavioral Evidence of the Effects of televised Food Messages on Children, Journal of Consumer Research 9 ( 1982 ): 200 - 205

Kotz, K. et al, ( 1994 ), Food Advertisements during Children ' s Saturday Morning Television Programming: Are They Consistent with Dietary Recommendations? " Journal of the American Dietic Association 94 ( 1994 ) 11: 1296 - 1300

National Institute on Media and the Family: Media Use And Obesity Among Children. mediafamily. org / facts / facts_tvandobchild. shtml

Tremblay, M. S. et al, ( 2003 ), Is the Canadian child obesity epidemic related to physical inactivity? International Journal of Obesity, 27, 1100 - 1105

The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity: This Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief that reviews more than 40 studies on the role of media in the nation ' s dramatically increasing rates of childhood obesity explores what researchers do and do not know about the role media plays in childhood obesity. It also outlines media - related policy options that have been proposed to help address childhood

U. S. News article " Childhood Obesity Epidemic a Long - Term Challenge "

health. usnews. com / usnews / health / healthday / 070920 / childhood - obesity - epidemic - a - long - term - challenge. htm