Always under scrutiny, the media is blamed for a multitude of real-life problems. Amongst these problems is the increasing rate of childhood obesity the United States and several other nations are confronted with today.
According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the prevalence of childhood obesity has “more tripled in the past 30 years.” In 1980, 6.5% of children aged 6 to 11 were considered obese. This number has risen to 19.6% in 2008! Childhood obesity has turned into an epidemic and we simply cannot help wondering what or who is to blame for this. While some believe parenting styles are responsible, many of us point our fingers to the media.
Why is the media blamed?
To begin with, through the media, young kids are constantly exposed to food advertisements. Food ads are featured in magazines, on TV, on the radio and online. Do these ads attempt get kids hooked on fresh fruits and vegetables? No. Advertisements usually promote soft drinks, candy, sugary cereals and calorie-laden fast food. Toys and prizes are frequently promised for the consumption of these foods (Kelloggs cereal, McDonald’s Happy Meals, etc.) and popular cartoon characters are employed to make the advertised foods even more appealing to kids. People who believe the media is to blame for childhood obesity argue that children will “model” the behaviors of their favorite TV characters or celebrities. If the media shows them consuming unhealthy food and vast quantities of it, they say, kids will follow suit.
In addition to the exposure to advertisements prompting kids to crave fattening foods, the more time kids spend using media, the less time they spend engaging in physical activity. In front of the TV or the computer screen, kids also often munch mindlessly and, as a consequence, consume more snack foods than their bodies need.
Studies like the Framingham Children’s Study (published in 2003) found links between obesity and television viewing. Thus, we must ask ourselves: Is TV viewing time merely correlated with childhood obesity, or Is TV (along with the other media types) a causation of obesity in children?
Finally, there is an interesting YouTube video in which the media’s effects on the childhood obesity epidemic are discussed by Dr. Stephen Cook. Here it is:
Take a look!
Sources of information used:
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