The Need
Obesity is
associated with the development of diabetes,
heart disease and orthopedic problems, along
with psychological problems such as negative
self-image and low self-esteem. Unfortunately,
the physical health consequences of being
overweight in childhood are often accompanied by
psycho-social consequences, including bullying
and depression. Results of a national survey
showed that 25% of American children are
currently overweight or at risk for obesity.
This represents an exponential rise in the rates
of childhood obesity.
At the same time that childhood obesity rates
have risen dramatically we have seen an
explosion in media targeted at children and
youth. Media messages are omnipresent in the
lives of American children. Studies find that
the average child spends 6.5 hours per day
engaged with media including radio, television,
video games and the Internet. Over the course of
a year, this represents twice as much time as
children spend in school (American Medical
Association).
While there are many factors that contribute to
childhood obesity, scientists agree that
children’s use of media represents a significant
piece of the puzzle. A recent review by the
Kaiser Family Foundation of research in this
area concluded that the majority of scientific
studies show that children who spend the most
time with media are the most likely to be
overweight. According to the Institute of
Medicine’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Study,
youth who watched more than five hours of TV per
day were 4.6 times as likely to be obese as
those watching less than two hours daily.
Media research suggests that the mechanisms
through which media (advertisements and
programming) contribute to childhood obesity
include the following:
> Direct and
pervasive advertisements for unhealthy foods
(the typical child sees 40,000 ads per year and
the majority of these are for candy, cereal and
fast food), and the use of popular and trusted
characters and personalities to encourage kids
to consume high calorie food and beverages
Portrayal of
unrealistic lifestyles and body images
Sedentary and snack filled nature of media use
Direct promotion of disdainful attitudes toward
parents, teachers and other adults and direct
instruction in strategies (nag factor, pester
power, etc.) to circumvent adult barriers to
consumerism and unhealthy eating behavior.
> Perception and
promotion of a cultural norm of excess,
dominance and immediacy.
Reduction of
media use in order to decrease childhood obesity
is advocated by the Surgeon General, American
Academy of Pediatrics and the Department of
Health & Human Services. Health professionals
and educators advocate that children and parents
need skills to mitigate the adverse effects of
media use on youth behavior including
aggression, tobacco and alcohol use, and
unhealthy eating habits.
Over the last decade, prevention science has
generated mounting evidence that media literacy
can help protect youth from the onset of
multiple risky behaviors. Although a relatively
new area of intervention, there is experimental
evidence that school-based media literacy
results in measurable reductions in student body
weight.