From Your Health Journal…..”Recently, I found a very interesting article from The New York Times by Dr. Perri Klass called How Advertising Targets Our Children. We hear so much about childhood obesity – and illness associated with it such as heart disease, weak joints, cancer, or type 2 diabetes. One thing that has changed over the years is in invent of 24/7 kid programming, with many commercials that target children with unhealthy choices. Many feel children are lured into buying fatty type foods through the commercials they see on TV. Then, others feel like the parents should have control over what their children buy and eat. Dr. Klass does an excellent job pointing out how cigarette commercials ruled the airways may years ago – which eventually stopped as new regulations prevented these commercials from being on TV. Then, there are those alcohol commercials which cause similar issues. A large body of literature shows that advertising does increase the odds of underage drinking. So, this debate is going to continue for a while, but I encourage you to visit the New York Times blog (link provided below) to read the complete article. I always try to promote the New York Times Health blog – one of the best sites on the net.”

From the article…..

I always wanted somewhat cynical children, at least where advertising and proselytizing are concerned. That is, I wanted my children to grow up alert to the silken, studied salesmanship of those who want your trust but are not really your friends.

I grew up in the era of unfettered television advertisements for tobacco. I remember all the jingles — but I also remember the welcome cynicism of Mad Magazine parodies in which gravestones discussed the great taste of cigarettes and Hitler endorsed them as terrific mass murderers.

In serious discussions of advertising today, I sometimes miss that harsh humor. Researchers have long focused on the effects of cigarette and alcohol ads on children — and more recently, on the effects of subtler marketing through product placement in movies and TV shows. Studies show that advertising does help push children and adolescents toward unhealthy behaviors, but also that it is increasingly difficult to shield them as marketers exploit the Internet and social media.

In a study published last month in the journal Pediatrics, Jerry L. Grenard, a health researcher at Claremont Graduate University, and his colleagues followed almost 4,000 students from seventh through 10th grades, assessing their exposure to alcohol advertising on television and asking about their alcohol use.

A large body of literature shows that advertising does increase the odds of underage drinking, Dr. Grenard noted. But his new results take the concerns a step further. “This study linked exposure to alcohol advertising to an increase in alcohol use among adolescents and then that in turn is associated with higher level of problems with drinking alcohol, getting drunk, missing school, getting into fights,” he said.

To read the complete article…..Click here