The advocating of junk food to children on television

For juvenile Americans, the "food countryside" in television advertising is packed with junk nourishment, according to a new study.

The study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the first to explore the nutritional composition of food advertising to children using Nutrition Facts labeling.

There is no recommended daily value (RDVs) for sugar, but these two groups of foods "exceed RDVs fat, saturated fat and salt, and not to provide fiber and RDVs some vitamins and minerals, "said Kristen Harrison, the lead author of the study.

A diet of 2,000 calories per day food ads in children-public "than the RDV for sodium and provide nearly a cup of sugar," said Harrison, a professor of speech communication at Illinois and an expert on the impact of media on children and adolescents.

"How numerous children end up consuming a meal like that, I will not say," she said. "But it is significant to note that the nutritional composition of foods sold to young kids and their families, and studies show that more they are exposed to advocating, the more they are expected to purchase nourishment advertised. Thus, heavy viewers probably follow a diet more like the plan announced TV than do lighter viewers."

Given the food industry's marketing of convenience foods heavy fast / and other refined products rich in calories, Harrison said: "It is increasingly difficult for parents to maintain the necessary restraint to preserve the health of their children. "

The results of the study appear in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health in an article entitled "nutritional content of foods advertised during the watch of television most children."

Other results:

Snack-time eating in television advertising is most often represented breakfast, lunch and dinner together. ...