food marketers and child obesity

Child obesity in the United States is a major health concern. Children are experiencing increased exposure to unhealthy food advertisements on television and major food companies and advertisers are being targeted as the prime source of this national epidemic. Past research has shown evidence that advertisements on television have an effect on children’s behaviors toward food and restrictive policies should be implemented in television marketing. New research, however, is claiming that restricting food advertisements through television may not produce the desired decrease in child obesity as new problems arise. Policies aimed at television food marketing need be combined with other strategies for a breakthrough to occur.
Two studies have researched the effect of television marketing on child obesity and provide certain measures that should be taken. An increase in both adiposity in children and exposure to food marketing suggests a correlation between the two. Debra Desrochers and Debra Holt complied data and estimates on programs aired, audience composition for each program, and advertisements in the programs which showed that “the food categories account for slightly less than one-third of all ad exposures on children’s programming” (Desrochers and Holt, 2007, p. 190). Expanding on this data, Ron Warren and a team from the University of Arkansas found that the majority of food advertisements represent fast food restaurants (2007, p. 796).
But it is not just the advertisements on children’s programming that are causing a problem. Descrochers’ and Holt’s research indicated that 41.2% of a child’s exposure to food advertisement comes from adult programs and that it is “unlikely that such programs would be subject to ad restrictions…even though the programs contribute a large portion of children’s ad exposure” (2007, p. 190). Inconclusively, both studies agree that implementing restrictive policies on integrated food marketing will be the most effective strategy to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food products (Desrochers and Holt, 2007, p. 198; Warren, et al., 2007, 806).
The ethical issue of marketing to vulnerable children through television continues to pressure food marketers to implement new, restricting policies. The main goal of any marketer, however, is to sell a product, not to protect the well-being of a child. And although the advertisements are influential, many of them are aired during adult programs which are not subject to the same rules as advertisements on children’s programming. Ultimately, the responsibility should lie with the parents or legal guardians of a child, since the child’s well-being is in the parents’ interest. Parents are the ones who have control over their children’s and the amount of physical exercise their children receive. There are more contributing factors to child obesity than just food advertisements.
Restrictions in food marketing may help decrease some of the effects that advertisements have on children, but more problems arise. If food advertisements are removed, what is replacing them? And what affect will this have on children? An advertisement for a toy can influence a child’s preference for that toy—but that does not immediately make the marketers responsible for a selfish child. It is a stretch to say that child obesity is caused by the food marketers.
A decline in the number of food advertisements aired or an increase in restrictive policies is not going to solve the increase of heavy children. Food marketers should not be solely responsible for child obesity.