The Role of the Media as a Contributor to Childhood Overweight and Obesity

According to the federal government, 25% of US children spend 4 or more hours per day watching television. (1)

Institute of Medicine

• Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?   Describes marketing influences on food consumption for children and youth.
• Advertising, Marketing and the Media: Improving Messages, Fact Sheet related to children and obesity.
• Significant Growth in New Foods Products Targeted to US Children and Youth, 1994-2004. 

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

• The Role of the Media in Childhood Obesity (Issue Brief, 2004) Reviews and synthesizes research from 40 studies on the role of the media in contributing to childhood overweight and obesity.
• Children spend more time using media than they do playing outside.
• Watching television and videos decreases children’s metabolism;
• There has been increased marketing of television programs to children.
• Much of the programming targeting children contains advertisements that promote high fat and high sugar foods such as candy, soda and snacks.
• Children snack excessively while watching entertainment media.
• Depictions of nutrition and body weight in entertainment media encourage children to develop less healthy diets.
• Entertainment Education and Health in the US examines how media is used to educate the public on health issues.
• Study of Entertainment Media and Health: Program Area

National Institute of Media and the Family, Media-Wise: Media Use and Obesity Among Children

International Food Information Council: Trends in Obesity-Related Media Coverage

Massey University: Study links obesity to advertising.

Junk Food Advertising and Obesity in Children (2)

Selected Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Burdett HL, Whitaker RC. A national study of neighborhood safety, outdoor play, television viewing and obesity in preschool children.  Pediatrics 2005 Sep 116(3):657-62.
• Crespo CJ, Smit E, Troiano RP, Bartlett SJ, Macera CA, Anderson RE.  Television watching, energy intake and obesity in US children: results from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Arch Pediatr adolesc Med, 2001 Mar:155(3):360-5.
• Dennison MD, Barbara A., Erb MS, Tara A., Jenkins PhD, Paul L. (2002, June). Television viewing and television in bedroom associated with overweight risk among low-income preschool children. Pediatrics, 109, 1028-1035. 
• Fleming-Moran M , Thiagarajah K. Behavorial interventions and the role of television in the growing epidemic of adolescent obesity – data from the 2001 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey. Methods Inf Med 2005:44(2):303-9.
• Frenn M, Malin S, Brown RL, Greer Y, Fox J, Greer J, Smyczek S. Changing the tide: an Internet/video exercise and low-fat diet intervention with middle school students. Appl Nurs Res. 2005 feb:18(1):13-21.
• Goran MI, Reynolds K. Interactive multimedia for promoting physical activity (IMPACT) in children. Obes Res. 2005 Apr:13(4):762-71.
• Henderson VR, Kelly B. Food advertising in the age of obesity: content analysis of food advertising on general market and African American television. J Nutr Educ Behav 2005 Jul-Aug; 37(4):191-6.
• Johnson DB, Birkett D, Evens C, Pickering S. Statewide intervention to reduce television in WIC clients and staff. Am J health Promot. 2005 Jul-Aug:19(6):418-21.
• Kautianen S, Koivusilta L, Lintonen T, Virtanen SM, Rimpela A. Use of information and communication technology and prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents. Int J Oves (Lond). 2005 Aug 29(8):925-33.
• Robinson TN. Television viewing and childhood obesity. Pediatri Clin North Am. 2001 Aug:48(4):1017-25.
• Stettler N, Signer TM, Suter PM. Electronic games and environmental factors associated with childhood obesity in Switzerland. Obes res 2004 Jun:12(6):896-903.
• Tremblay MS, Williams JD. Is the Canadian childhood obesity epidemic related to physical inactivity? Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2003 Sep:27(9):1100-5.
• Tufano JT, Karrass BT. Mobile Ehealth interventions for obesity: a timely opportunity to leverage convergent trends. Journal of Medical Internet Research 7(5):e58.
• Viner RM, Cole TJ. Television viewing in early childhood predict adults body mass index. J Pediatr 2005 Oct:147(4):429-35.
• Zabinski MH, Celio AA, Wilfley DE, Taylor CB. Prevention of eating disorders and obesity via the internet. Cogn Behav Ther 2003 Sep:32(3): 147-50.

Sources

(1) President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

(2) Please note: this is a for-profit weight loss site: Ann Collins Weight Loss Program.

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Page last updated: 10/02/2006

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