Two independent studies blame obesity problem on food advertising directed at young children

Food & Drink Weekly, March 1, 2004

Thousands of advertisements for candy and sugary foods help fuel the epidemic of childhood obesity in America, a pair of new studies asserts. The Kaiser Family Foundation said in a study released Tuesday that the main mechanism through which the media contribute to childhood obesity is through billions of dollars worth of advertising. "The number of ads children see on TV has doubled from 20,000 to 40,000 since the 1970s, and the majority of ads targeted to kids are for candy, cereal and fast food," the Foundation said. It reported that 15.3 percent of children aged six to 11 were listed as overweight in 1999-2000, compared to 4.2 percent in 1963-1970.

Meanwhile, The American Psychological Association (APA) called for the government to restrict ads aimed at children under 8. Dr. Susan Linn, a Harvard psychologist who was a co-author of the APA report, said actions: "Could include specific restrictions on advertising junk food or toys that promote violence or precocious sexuality. Given the developmental vulnerabilities young children have to advertising, however, a prohibition on all marketing aimed at children is the only truly effective solution." Unlike the APA, the Kaiser foundation did not endorse any specific action, saying many options are available to policy-makers, food companies, the media and parents. The APA estimated that advertisers spend more than $12 billion per year on advertising messages aimed at young people.

Dale Kunkel of the University of California, Santa Barbara, a co-author of the APA report, said its study "shows young children are uniquely vulnerable to commercial persuasion." Kunkel added, "The most predominant products marketed to children are sugared cereals, candies, sweets, sodas and snack foods."

Kunkel said a six-person team of psychologists spent 18 months analyzing studies of children and their reaction to advertising. The basic concept is understanding persuasive intent, and children aged 8 and younger generally do not grasp that intent, Kunkel explained. Older children and adults recognize the intent to sell and know advertising can exaggerate, though they may not apply that knowledge in every case, he said. "What we're saying is that, because children 8 and below cannot grasp intent ... it is inherently unfair," Kunkel said.

The APA report recommended:

* "Governmental action to protect young children from commercial exploitation" through advertising.

* Making sure disclosures and disclaimers in advertising directed to children are in language easily understood, such as "you have to put it together," rather than "some assembly required".

* Investigating how young children comprehend and are influenced by advertising in new interactive media environments such as the Internet.

* Examining the influence of advertising directed to children in the school and classroom.