According to a new study, obese children are more vulnerable to food advertisements, thus fuelling higher levels of obesity in them.
It's very easy to gain brand preference, loyalty and brand recognition among kids by simple advertisements. Brands, especially food and beverage brands create attractive and colorful advertising logos and slogans which easily attract children to them. A new study now proves that children who are obese are more vulnerable to such advertisements, thus making them more obese.
"I think it raises the question, and it's a difficult question, of how ethical is it to advertise unhealthy food products to children, especially when we see that obese children are potentially more vulnerable to this type of advertising," study author Dr. Amanda Bruce, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, told CBS affiliate KCTV in Kansas City.
The study was conducted on 10 healthy children and 10 obese children aged 10 to 14. They were asked to answer questionnaires that measured self-control and functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity.
It was found that the obese children showed more activity and much enthusiasm for rewards when food logos were given to them than the healthy weighted children.
"When shown food logos, obese children showed significantly less brain activation than the healthy weight children in regions association with cognitive control," the study's authors concluded in Friday's issue of The Journal of Pediatrics."This provides initial neuroimaging evidence that obese children may be more vulnerable to the effects of food advertising."
"This study provides preliminary evidence that obese children may be more vulnerable to the effects of food advertising. One of the keys to improving health-related decision-making may be found in the ability to improve self-control," Dr. Bruce said.
The study was published November 30 in the Journal of Pediatrics.
