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Advertisement and Childhood Obesity ENGL/101-B25

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Would you feed your children lard? The answer for most all of us is No Way. Most parents can safely say that they want healthy choices for their children and would never want to give them something that is bad for them. However, with many of the foods on fast food menus this is not far from the truth. We have all heard the statement that childhood obesity is on the rise, and has been for quite some time now. We have seen the heartbreaking stories of overweight children being bullied, made fun of, and even being subject to more diseases. According to the center for disease control the childhood obesity rate rose from 7% in 1980 to an unbelievable 20% in 2008 (CDC, 2011). Parents spend an unbelievable amount of time trying to decide if vaccinations are right for their child, if they should put them on a certain medication, or worrying about mercury levels. Yet, when it comes to what our children consume we sometimes make our decision for convince over healthy. Childhood obesity is on the rise and fast food advertisements may be to blame for this epidemic. We have all seen the ads full of colorful characters and the fun bonus surprise of a toy. Fast food companies have had the ability to catch childrens attention from the start of the Happy Meal. Even the name of this particular meal leaves one to assume that it is responsible for creating a happy feeling. Sure, it makes the child happy because they got a toy, but is it healthy? Aside from offering toys that are geared towards whatever movie or item is hip to children at the time, fast food restaurants even offer a colorful playground to draw children in. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5 (5.0% to 12.4%) and ages 6 to 11 (6.5% to 17.0%). In teens ages 12 to 19, prevalence rates have tripled (5.0% to 17.6%) (APA, 2011). Childhood obesity has risen by leaps and bounds since the 1980s. The statistics can tell a story all of their own. It is hard to deny this rise, just as it is hard to deny that fast food companies have

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become more geared toward children. The children they are mainly targeting are mostly those in the age 2 to age 6 range. An argument for fast food companies may be that in recent years they have started offering healthier options. Some menus now offer milk as a beverage and apples as a food. While these are healthier choices, there is still very few of these options as opposed to the unhealthy ones. Not to mention in advertisements the apples are always shown with a sugar filled dipping sauce. The fact that these companies still have mostly unhealthy choices, they should not target children in their advertisement. It is obvious that many factors play into the epidemic of childhood obesity. Factors that play into childhood obesity are things such as family income levels and restaurants that are in close proximity. Let me pose this question, what food places are the cheapest and have locations on almost every street corner? Yes, that is correct, fast food. When they already have those factors in their favor, these advertisements just seal the deal for them. Children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend a whopping 44.5 hours in front of media sources that are possibly displaying these ads. Research has shown that children less than age 8 cannot tell that the advertisements are merely trying to be persuasive. Children under age 6 cannot even tell the difference between an advertisement and a program. Yet all of these children have a striking ability to easily remember the content from advertisements they have been exposed to. This means that fast food companies are advertising to people who cannot tell that it is simply an advertisement, yet will remember that the other children on television were eating the food (APA, 2011).

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Fast food companies obviously direct advertising towards children. They also happen to be the cheapest and probably closest restaurants for parents. While they have shown some effort of moving in a better direction by offering a few healthier options, it is not enough. These companies need to seriously rethink their menu options or gear their advertisements away from children altogether. We always speak of how impressionable young children are. From birth they are looking to their surroundings to learn anything and everything. When these types of advertisements are geared towards children, it is teaching them bad habits before they are even old enough to know better. We all know and realize that these advertisements are actually louder than the program you have tuned into. Can we expect the fast food companies to change? No, probably not. So what do we do? We have covered how much time that children spend in front of media outlets in this paper and the numbers are scary. Parents it is time we take action. Turn off the television, get out, go and do activities with your child. Be a living example. You cannot expect a child to want to eat healthy if you do not as well. Get together as a family and have fun cooking healthy meals. Let your children learn good habits from you, instead of bad habits from advertisement. I know we are all busy but we have to make time. At the end of the day, we cannot control advertisement. We can not like it, make a huge fuss about it, protest against it, and fight it until our last breath. However, I think that all of that time and energy could be better spent teaching our children better eating habits. We can take control of our families and their future health. Is advertisement partially to blame for childhood obesity? I believe it is but I also believe that we as parents can be the cure. Let us start now by being the proper example for our children and help them to be more healthy and active.

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References: Center for Disease Control (2011) Childhood Obesity Facts. Retrieved on October 3, 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm American Psychological Association (2011) The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity. Retrieved on October 3, 2011 from http://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food.aspx

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Thesis statement: Childhood obesity is on the rise and fast food advertisements may be to blame for this epidemic.

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Introduction A. Would you feed your children lard? B. Childhood obesity is on the rise. C. Childhood obesity is on the rise and fast food advertisements may be to blame for this epidemic. Support A. Fast food companies appeal to children and parents through advertisement. B. Fast food companies offer toys with their meals, have playgrounds that draw children in, and appeal to parents busy schedules by offering easy solutions. C. Childhood obesity has risen by 17% between 1980 and 2008. D. The fact that fast food advertisement is directed mainly at children and the childhood obesity rate has risen has to be related to some extent. Opposition A. Fast food restaurants offer healthier options now. B. While it is true that fast food menus do contain a few healthier options the majority of their menu is not healthy. C. Children spend around 44.5 hours a week in front of media sources that may be displaying this advertising. D. No one factor is fully to blame for childhood obesity but advertisement could play a large part. Conclusion A. Fast Food advertisement is directed mainly at children. B. While there is clearly many factors of childhood obesity, we cannot overlook the significance of fast food advertisements, C. Can we expect the advertisers to change? No, so it is our job to take action.