The Little Emperor – Part 3 – The Role of Television and Junk Food

Why is childhood obesity on the rise?

If we look at the end-of-the-year photographs of our school days, chances are that only two or three children in a class of forty children look overweight or obese. But if you do the same thing with your child’s class, chances are the number will be double or even triple that number. This is because our children are exposed to the two scourges of modern life: junk food and television.

RELATIONSHIP OF TELEVISION WITH OBESITY IN CHILDREN

Due to the hours of television that children watch and their involvement in the program that they watch, it plays an important role in their lives in more ways than one. The hours of television are considered to be directly proportional to the levels of childhood obesity. The reasons for this are-

1. Hours of ‘couch time’ are reducing physical activity levels and this includes games played on mobile phones, computers and other on-screen activities.
2. Eating in front of the television is common and leads to eating too much or too little without thinking about the content of the plate and the taste of the food.
3. The content of television advertisements also influences food choices. Children from 2 to 6 years old cannot distinguish between programming and advertising. Consequently, they choose food based on the advertisements they see on television. These ads are very often for non-nutritious, high-calorie snacks.

There are extreme cases where morbidly obese children have become so addicted to watching TV that they have soiled their pants instead of going to the bathroom and missing their favorite show.

TV COMMERCIALS – FACTS and FIGURES
1.) The products featured in TV commercials are high-calorie snacks and non-nutritious beverages, often with misleading information. A catchy jingle, a favorite cartoon character in the ad, a free gift all result in children being conditioned to reach for these foods in the supermarket or refrigerator, even when given a choice between different foods.

2.) Obesity levels are higher in children who watch more than two hours of television per day. For every hour of television, food consumption increases by almost 50 kcal/day (a third of the calories needed to be obese).

3.) On average, kids and teens spend 30-50 hours each year watching ads for unhealthy foods. Those who suffer the most are children in the age group of 7 to 12 years, who are at a crucial moment in their lives in terms of eating habits and eating patterns that will mark the rest of their lives.

In our country, the lack of regulation of advertising content implies that parents and teachers play a crucial role in guiding the correct decisions in this matter.

JUNK FOOD – A curse of modern life

A study of 4,000 Scottish children conducted by the University of London showed that children raised on a diet of junk food versus freshly cooked food had significantly lower IQs. This study also showed that the effect of junk food on IQ occurred at the age of three, as peak brain growth occurs at this age. Therefore, all parents, including those with children of normal weight, should be careful about junk food.

Researchers have found that junk food produces an addiction similar to that seen in heroin and cocaine addicts. The consumption of these foods releases a chemical substance (neurotransmitter) called ‘dopamine’ that is associated with the production of a sensation of pleasure. The affected person soon gets so hooked on this pleasurable feeling that he continues to eat these foods. Soon, the sight, thought, and memory of these foods will create a craving similar to that of addicts, producing behavior that results in repeated purchase and consumption of these foods.

Interestingly, this phenomenon is observed not only in obese people, but also in fit people who have obese parents.

Modern parenting is fraught with more challenges than our previous generations (who never had to deal with junk food or watch TV) had to deal with. Television is an integral part of our lives and will continue to be. But the hours and content of our children’s viewing can be changed. Junk food is unhealthy and addictive. So how often we let our children eat junk food is also an issue that families need to discuss together. But the fact is that overseeing the decisions we let children make affects their futures in more ways than one.