People who are constantly exposed to advertisements about attractively presented junk food are likely to eat more, a new study confirms.
With obesity on the rise, many health experts question whether advertisements are to be blamed for people overeating and consuming too much fast food. A new study, published by Pyschology & Health, has confirmed that food-related advertisements may be one reason for the growing popularity of junk food.
The study authors conducted two experiments to examine cognitive processes, motivators to eat, and the practical implications for the management of dysfunctional eating behaviors. The first experiment included a female group with average BMI. The group was split into two. The first half watched a mixture of food and non-food related advertising and a control group watched only non-food related ads. The groups were then asked to complete a list of unfinished words, all of which had the potential to be food related, and to record their level of desire to eat. The second experiment followed the same methodology, but included participants with higher BMI.
Researchers found that in both experiments, those shown food ads produced more food related words, suggesting that the advertising does activate increased food-related cognitions. Interestingly, in the second experiment, overweight viewers of food ads reported a stronger desire to eat than those in the control group. Experiment 1 participants reported a lower desire to eat across the board. The overweight group appeared more prone to eat as a direct result of TV ads.
This is not the first time advertising has been linked to obesity. A recent study by the University of Michigan found that children who regularly watched television commercials consumed more junk food, and had a distorted view of healthy portion sizes and choices than households where commercial-free television was viewed. The most frequently advertised foods were sugar-sweetened beverages, sweetened cereals, pre-packaged snack foods, fast foods and convenience meals. A study of almost 100,000 food ads on TV showed that 85 percent of ads that teenagers see promote products high in fat, sugar and/or sodium.
With the average teen in the U.S. seeing 15 food ads a day, a commercial's influence on you can add up, especially when you consider that these ads can affect how you eat without you knowing it. And that's where the danger lies. A 2009 study by researchers at Yale University found that kids and adults eating a snack while watching TV ate 45 percent more during and after food ads.
The current study was published online in the journal Psychology & Health.
