Fast food advertising increases calorie intake in adolescents

Should fast food advertising be banned?

Advertising should generally get people to buy certain products. Researchers have now found that if one adolescent sees additional advertising for fast food per week, it leads to a dramatic side effect: Affected adolescents consume about 18,000 extra calories per year.

Researchers at Cancer Research UK have found in their recent research that if adolescents see additional advertising for fast food on television every week, they will eat about 18,000 more calories per year. The physicians will present the results of their study at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Vienna.

Fast food is not healthy and frequent consumption leads to obesity. Can watching the advertising for fast food on television cause adolescents to consume more of this unhealthy food? (Image: Alexander Raths / fotolia.com)

Parents should note what advertisements children watch on TV

Of course, parents always try to create the best possible conditions for the life and health of their children. Of course, parents also try to avoid that their children develop obesity or obesity. In order to achieve this, parents may even have to consider in the future what their children watch on TV for advertising.

Too much advertising for fast food harms teenagers

The research conducted by Cancer Research UK found that the average teenager on television looks at about six advertisements for high-fat, high-sugar or salt-rich foods over a seven-day period, to which he recalls later. However, if the teenagers remember seven such ads, this already favors an unhealthy diet.

More than 3,300 subjects participated in the study

A total of 3,348 subjects between the ages of 11 and 19 participated in the survey. Due to the real obesity crisis in the UK, there have been calls for a drastic fight against advertising unhealthy foods. Overweight participants in the current study have seen an average of one extra fast food ad per week, further pointing out that television advertising could lead to harmful long term weight gain in young people.

What do teenagers eat today??

According to the study, participants said they consumed an average of only 16 servings of fruit or vegetables per week. However, the same subjects consumed around 30 foods high in fat, sugar or salt during this period, study authors explain. The researchers estimate that this corresponds to about 6,300 calories a week. These are between 30 percent and 40 percent of the recommended weekly amount of calories, reports the English-language magazine "The Times".

Ban fast food advertising before 9pm?

Cancer Research UK experts are calling for a turnaround in advertising for fast food before 9pm. In her opinion, this would be the most effective mechanism for bringing about important changes. For example, the food industry would not spend millions of euros on advertising its products, which should encourage people to eat more, the researchers say. Broadcasting regulations in the UK have not been updated since 2008, researchers said.

The research has provided sufficient evidence that the current restrictions are not really working, the experts explain. With teens spending more time watching screens than any other activity besides sleeping, curbing fast food advertising on streaming platforms and on television will play a key role in promoting healthy eating habits and to reduce obesity rates.

Overweight adolescents spend more time watching television

An earlier study by Cancer Research UK has previously shown that overweight adolescents spend an average of 26 hours a week watching TV. By contrast, young people with healthy body weight spend only about 20 hours a week watching TV. This means that overweight participants are more likely to see ads promoting unhealthy foods, say the doctors. (As)