TV Ads May Play Role in Underage Drinking, Obesity

SUNDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) — Kids who recognize fast-food
advertisements on TV are more likely to be overweight, and those familiar
with TV ads for alcoholic beverages are more likely to drink, according to
two new studies from Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center.

In one study, researchers questioned more than 2,500 young people
ranging from 15 to 20 years old about their exposure to alcohol, if they
had a favorite alcohol ad, and if they owned alcohol-branded merchandise,
among other behaviors.

After being shown 20 images from the most popular TV ads for alcohol
and 20 ads for fast food, with the brand names removed, the participants
were then asked if they remembered the ads, liked the ads and knew about
the products being advertised.

The researchers found that 59 percent of kids drank and 49 had engaged
in binge drinking at least once the previous year. Familiarity with TV
alcohol advertising was much higher among the drinkers than nondrinkers,
and having alcohol-branded merchandise or having a favorite alcohol ad was
linked to more hazardous drinking.

The studies were scheduled for presentation Sunday at the Pediatric
Academic Societies’ annual meeting in Boston.

“At present, the alcohol industry employs voluntary standards to direct
their advertising to audiences comprised of adults of legal drinking age,”
said study lead author Dr. Susanne Tanski, an assistant professor in the
department of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, in a news
release from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Our findings of high levels of familiarity with alcohol ads
demonstrate that underage youth still frequently see these ads,” Tanski
added. “While this study cannot determine which came first, the exposure
to advertising or the drinking behavior, it does suggest that alcohol
advertising may play a role in underage drinking, and the standards for
alcohol-ad placement perhaps should be more strict.”

A separate study from Dartmouth found greater awareness of fast-food
commercials among children is linked to obesity.

This time, researchers asked more than 3,300 young people ranging in
age from 15 to 23 years old about their height, weight, consumption of
soda and fast food, and certain lifestyle behaviors, such as watching TV
and snacking in front of the TV.

The participants were shown 20 images from TV ads for fast-food
restaurants that aired within the past year but were digitally altered to
conceal the brand names. This group was also shown 20 images from popular
alcohol ads.

The study found roughly 18 percent of those surveyed were overweight,
and 15 percent were obese. The percentage of obese young was significantly
higher among those who recognized more fast-food ads than those familiar
with only a few. Even after taking other factors into account, the kids
who recognized many ads were more than twice as likely to be obese than
those who just knew a few of the ads.

“The relation between fast-food marketing and obesity is not simply
that it prompts more quick-serve restaurant visits,” said study co-author
Dr. James Sargent, a professor in the Dartmouth pediatrics department, in
the news release. Instead, “individuals who are more familiar with these
ads may have food-consumption patterns that include many types of
high-calorie food brands, or they may be especially sensitive to visual
cues to eat while watching TV.

The study’s authors noted the link between fast-food ads and obesity
was specific, and said more research is necessary to understand the
connection.

“A similar association with obesity was not found for familiarity with
televised alcohol ads, suggesting that the relationship was specific to
fast-food advertising content,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Auden
McClure, an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics, in the
news release.

The more that is known about how media and marketing affect young
people, the better equipped pediatricians and parents will be to guide
them in making healthy diet choices, McClure concluded.

Data and conclusions presented at medical meetings should be considered
preliminary until published in a peer reviewed medical journal.

More information

The University of Michigan provides more information on how television affects children.

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