Fat Kids - Are We at Fault?
Recently, I read yet another article on how advertising/ branding contributes to the obesity problem in the U.S., particularly in children. A call for government restrictions on ads targeted at children was issued.
Apparently, when a child (ages 3- 5) has a choice between a burger, fries, carrots, or milk wrapped in plain white paper or the identical food wrapped in a McDonald’s branded wrapper, most often they preferred the branded food. This preference increased with the number of television sets in the child’s home.
My theory is that there is a direct correlation between the number of television sets in the home and the degree of lethargy exhibited by the parents. The lazier the parents are, the less likely they are to (1) engage in outdoor activities with their children and (2) prepare healthy home cooked meals.
Of course the kids are going to prefer the food with the Mickey-D’s branding, that’s what they have for dinner every night. Then down they go, in front of the television until its time for bed – i.e. husky children. I say it’s the parent’s responsibility to filter what could potentially influence their children. Try that one on for size Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
In the long run, are we all going to have to pay for the longer term effects of an obese nation? Yes.
Do I believe that it is our government’s responsibility to monitor what we eat or to slap the fast food from our mouths? No.
Technorati Tags: Childhood Obesity, Effects of Fast Food, Healthy Eating, Pediactric Medicine, Beneath the Brand, Kelliann McDonald
Filed under: Industry News, Outlandish Statements, Personal Opinions
I wholeheartedly agree. There are actually people who have sued fast food companies for ‘making them fat,’ which, in my opinion, is absurd.
In the first case, you have to be retarded to not put ‘A’ and ‘B’ together here (which is ‘high-calorie grub’ with ’sitting on your ass.’) And in the case of children, if you’re going to reproduce, you’re going to have to take some ownership over those little rats blubbering up on the rug.
This reminds me of the argument over children and television in many ways…and just like that device isn’t a babysitter, neither is a fast food restaurant franchise a stand-in for a nutritionist!
Finally, we are way too nice to obese children in this country…and I don’t mean ‘chunky’ folk…I mean fat folk. I was at Disney World not too long ago and encountered a little tub-at-10 (who easily weighed 150 pounds…at least.) I couldn’t help it…I stared at him with horror and disgust, which kind of got me in trouble with the Mom…and yet, if SHE stared at him with horror and disgust, would that kid be so damn fat? I think not!
Sue the fast food company? That is absurd. That’s up there with that old lady spilling the coffee on herself then suing McDonald’s or Burger, I forget, for making it too hot.
By no means do I blame the 10 year old. It’s the parents responsibility to supply healthy food choices to their offspring. No one is to blame, but the parent…unless the kid has an illness or something.