Advertising on TV makes children overweight

TV advertising makes children overweight

21/02/2011

Advertising makes children fat, because every second advertising film children watch on television is about sweets and other nibbles. This does not promote a healthy and balanced diet, warn physicians of the German Society for Pediatric Medicine.

Between 20,000 and 40,000 commercials are watched by children on average every year. About half of all advertising films are about sugary sodas, sweets and savory biscuits. This is the result of an evaluation of the German Society for Paediatrics and Youth (DGKJ). Children are particularly receptive to advertising because they can not yet differentiate promotions on TV. Opposite the health magazine „Baby and family“ Therefore, doctors expressed strong concerns. The doctors fear that the high advertising consumption entices the children to overweight, as the newspaper reported on Monday.

The pediatrician med. Berthold Koletzko warned against the pharmacist magazine, advertising does not praise fresh fruits and vegetables, but especially products that contain a lot of fat, sugar and table salt. The goods hardly promote ingredients that are important for a healthy development of the child. Diseases such as obesity and diabetes threaten even in childhood.

Even the television program itself plays an essential role in the emergence of obesity. US researchers came in the context of a study to the fact that above all the children's program of private television channels to the excessive and unhealthy eating consumption mislead. The science journal "American Journal of Public Health" reports on a study in which children watched different TV channels. Children who often consume private channels, on average, gained more body weight than those who mainly watched educational channels, DVDs, and books. Here, taking into account other risk factors, the weight remained almost unchanged.

The main reason for the difference was the commercials. During the commercial breaks, films for sweets, fast food, sodas and cereal cereals with high sugar content were shown. In the supermarket, the children demand from their parents, especially the advertised food. The food corporations know this too, which is why they are increasingly promoting their products in the children's program. (Sb)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann / Dieter Petereit