Fast Food & Child Obesity: Evidence & Consequences - Annotated Bibliography

Associated Press. "Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity." CBS News , 5 Jan. 2004, www.cbsnews.com/news/fast-food-linked-to-child-obesity/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020

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The article interrogates the general aspects of childhood obesity and its relationship with the excessive consumption of fast foods. The information provided in the report relies on studies that have linked fast foods and the prevalence of obesity among children. The primary thesis presented in the article is that fast food consumption is contributing to an obesity epidemic among children, thus necessitating appropriate measures to be taken in response. The author provides exceptional insight into trends associated with fast food consumption that have contributed to an alarming rise in child obesity over the last 30 years in America. The other main issue that the author highlights are that availability information on fast foods in schools and restaurants, as well as other platforms, plays a vital role in increasing their consumption. The information provided in the article will help write the paper by providing the required statistics to show that fast foods are creating a huge health problem requiring urgent attention from policymakers. Such data will be crucial in the introductory part of the paper as it will help in creating a perspective about the issue of fast foods and childhood obesity.

Harris, Jennifer L., et al. "Priming Effects of Television Food Advertising on Eating Behavior." Health Psychology, vol. 28, no. 4, 2009, pp. 404-413.

The article explores the role advertising plays in influencing consumer behaviors, especially regarding the consumption of fast foods. Harris and colleagues sought to test the hypothesis that exposure to advertising contributes to obesity by increasing the possibility of viewers snacking of available food. The researchers allowed children to watch a cartoon program on television that contained fast food adverts while they consumed a snack during the same period. They further designed a control experiment whereby adults watched a television program that involved advertising of fast foods. The behaviors of the two groups were observed and analyzed concerning their consumption patterns. The researchers found that children consumed 45 percent more after advertisement exposure, and the consumption was not necessarily motivated by hunger. The article will help develop the main argument as it will provide the information needed to show the link between fast food advertising and preference to fast foods among children.

Reisch, Lucia A., et al. "Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Food Advertising on Children's Knowledge about and Preferences for Healthful Food." Journal of Obesity, vol. 2013, no. 408582, 2013, pp. 1-13.

The study investigates the relationship between advertising and the ability of children to select healthy foods. Reisch and others specifically interrogate the impact of TV advertising on children's knowledge about food and also their food preferences as it relates to the requirement to exercise to manage body weight. The sample composed of 229 children who were tested based on variables of food frequency, fast food consumption, and snack and beverage consumption. Results from the analysis reveal the mixed effects of advertising on the preferences and consumption patterns of children. The scholars concluded that food knowledge does not affect food preferences hence little association with fast food advertising and obesity. The study appears to play down the effect of advertising of fast foods and child obesity. Therefore, it will be useful in the drafting of the final paper by providing the required data to support the counterargument that fast food advertising has an insignificant contribution to child obesity in the United States.

Boyland, E. J., et al. "Advertising as a Cue to consume: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Acute Exposure to Unhealthy Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Advertising on Intake in Children and Adults." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 103, no. 2, 2016, pp. 519-533.

Boyland et al.'s study seeks to establish a connection between fast food advertising and consumption among adults and children, specifically adults under age 18. Their meta-analysis included 18 articles meeting specific criteria as sources. The analyzed articles which featured adults as the sample revealed that there was no evidence that advertising had an impact on the intake of fast foods and nonalcoholic beverages. However, the analysis showed higher consumption of fast foods and nonalcoholic beverages with exposure to advertising among children. The researchers concluded that advertising is a factor in childhood obesity. The study will be significant in providing evidence to dispute the idea that advertising does not impact child obesity as promoted by Reisch et al. The source will also create the basis for the presentation of the main argument regarding the association between advertising of fast foods and child obesity.

Zhao, Yaling, et al. "Fast Food Consumption and its Associations with Obesity and Hypertension among Children: Results from the Baseline Data of the Childhood Obesity Study in China Mega-cities." BMC Public Health, vol. 17, no. 933, 2017, pp. 1-10.

The study investigates the relationship between fast foods and obesity and hypertension. The researchers compared Western and Chinese fast foods, and how their causative impact on child obesity and hypertension in China and selected Western countries. Zhao and colleagues give observed different ages of children and their intake of fast foods, and it was determined that children took more fast foods as their age progressed. It was also observed that children in major cities took more fast foods than their counterparts who did not live in cities. The more the children indulged in fast food intake, the more it caused more health problems such as for overweight and hypertension. The consumption of both Western and Chinese fast foods resulted in child obesity. Zhao et al. concluded that an intake of fast foods caused children to be obese and also hypertensive. The article will provide statistics on the health problems caused by the excessive consumption of fast foods. It will also help in drawing comparisons of fast foods and obesity in rich countries.

Strum, Lora. "Silly Rabbit! Junk Food Ads Contribute to Childhood Obesity, Study Says." PBS NewsHour, 5 July 2016, www.pbs.org/newshour/health/silly-rabbit-junk-food-ads-contribute-to-childhood-obesity-study-says. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020

The article examines the role fast food companies play in the development of childhood obesity. Authored by Lora Strum, the publication's primary concern is to urge relevant stakeholders to enact the necessary legislation to reduce the number of fast foods children consume as a result of intense advertising from food companies. Quoting studies, Strum notes that fast food companies' cartoon adverts through increased consumption of junk food. The author cites Trix Yoghurt or MacDonald's Happy Meals advertisements as examples that increased the short-term demand for these products among children. Strum further records that advertisements featuring Froot Loops, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola promote addiction since they are exposed to children at a tender age. The early exposure significantly impacts children's development of obesity. The author concludes that fast food advertising should be banned to control the child obesity crisis. The information in this article will provide illustrations on the specific American companies involved in fast food advertising and the need for the institution of bans on fast food advertisements, as a measure of fighting childhood obesity.

Russell, Simon J., et al. "The Effect of Screen Advertising on Children's Dietary intake: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." Obesity Reviews, vol. 20, no. 4, 2018, pp. 554-568.

Russell et al. conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from 1980 through April 2018 that involved children aged two-18 years as participants. These studies also featured screen advertising as the independent variable and dietary intake as the dependent variable. The researchers found that advertising had a direct impact on the type and quantity of food the children consumed. Screen advertisements of fast foods directly increased the dietary intake in children. The increased intake of fast food increased their BMI, which made them overweight or obese. Russell et al. concluded that food adverts had a direct impact on the amount of food consumed by children. This article will provide the latest comprehensive evidence linking fast food advertising to child obesity.

Lehigh University. "Ban On Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity Trends, Study Shows." ScienceDaily, 29 Nov. 2008, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119120149.htm. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020

The article explores the effect of regulation of fast food advertising on obesity in children. Lehigh University reports that banning fast-food advertising on television and near schools and restaurants has a mitigating impact on child obesity. The article suggests that banning fast food advertising could lower the number of overweight children by 18 percent. Lehigh University research indicates that using similar tactics would reduce the number of obese adolescents by 14 percent. Male participants experienced more of a reduction than their female counterparts. To do this, weekly fast food advertising viewing hours and its effect on immediate demand for fast foods was measured and impact assessed accordingly. The author further indicates that eliminating tax deductibles associated with fast food advertising on television would result in a marginal reduction of cases of obesity in children. The report will be beneficial in writing the final draft since it will supply information on the reverse relationship between the banning of television advertising of fast foods and obesity.

Jacobs, Andrew. "In Sweeping War on Obesity, Chile Slays Tony the Tiger." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, 7 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/health/obesity-chile-sugar-regulations.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020

Andrew Jacobs' article examines the measures that have been taken by the Chilean government to restrict advertising of fast foods to children and adolescents. The author also highlights the challenges regulators face in implementing restrictions on fast food advertising to children. The report indicates that the Chilean government required fast food companies to remove cartoon characters from sugary cereal boxes and also banned candy-like labels that employ trinkets to lure young buyers. The law prohibits the sale of fast foods in Chilean schools and also bans entirely such advertisements from airing on television. The law only allows fast food advertising on radio and theaters between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Moreover, the governments imposed more tax on sugary beverages such as Coca-Cola. The impact of these measures on reducing obesity will take some time. The author notes that the policy has taken two decades to materialize due to intense lobbying from food companies. The article will be useful in providing an illustration of how the restriction on fast food advertising should be done in the United States and the challenges likely to be faced towards this quest.