Monday, November 5, 2012

Obesity, Children, and the Media


 
This epidemic, known as childhood obesity, began in 1980; this is when the percentage of obese children in America began to rise significantly (Cuttler).  But as of 2002, that percentage has doubled from 7% to 16% in children between six and eleven years of age and for twelve to nineteen year olds the percentage has more than tripled from 5% to 16% (“Childhood Obesity”).  So now people are wondering what happened?  What has changed over the last 30 – 40 years that has caused the children of America to put on so much excess weight?

Fashion has changed since the 80s; the music has too.  America has seen several different presidents in the last 30 years and there have been new laws passed in Congress.  But there is one change that has truly influenced how we live in this country: the media. 

There are two ways that the media has an effect on childhood obesity: children are spending more time watching television instead of being physically active (Juster, Ono, and Stafford) and many of the ads on the television are advertising for foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value (“Childhood Obesity”).  This surplus of food advertisements in the media has a huge influence on a child’s food intake.  The research that has been accumulating since the 1980s suggests there is a definite link between children’s viewing of food advertisements and the increased rate of childhood obesity (“Childhood Obesity”).  This link is made even clearer once you realize that the average child is now seeing more than 40,000 commercials every year compared to 20,000 in the 1970s (Roberts and Foehr).
http://earlychildhood-educations.blogspot.com/2012/07/childhood-obesity.html

But somehow there are many people who still believe that the media is not the main cause.  Many people in society believe that the only cause of the obesity epidemic is that kids are  not getting enough physical activity (Mota).  The point that these studies are missing is what the children are doing instead of getting physical activity; they are sitting at home watching TV for four or more hours each day (Roberts and Foehr).  And while they are watching those four hours of TV they are being bombarded with media that is all about food (and it’s usually not promoting fruits and vegetables) (“Childhood Obesity”). 

So next time you go to watch TV, pay attention to what you are being shown and determine whether or not you want the children of America to be exposed to such high concentrations of food related media.

7 comments:

  1. Great use of media with the video as well as the image. I thought your main point was great about how media is the main reason childhood obesity has increased, however, you don't summarize that point very well to end your post. Part of this may be the word limit restriction for the assignment, but as soon as you get into the body of your post, it feels like it ends very abruptly and does not conclude in a satisfying way. Your need a stronger conclusion and a better transition into that conclusion. You have a good post overall and I especially liked the transition paragraph where you talked about things that have changed over the last 30 years. Just revise your conclusion and the post will be even stronger.

    -Hunter Rees

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    1. Hi Hunter!
      Thank you so much for your comments. I will definitely made sure that my conclusion is much stronger in my issues paper. I think this will be made easier with a strong thesis statement; I will have something to connect all my points back to...hopefully! I will also make sure to transition into that conclusion in a much easier to read way.

      Thanks!

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  2. I like that you tied this topic into the media and didn't just blame physical activity levels as is usually done. You examined the type of media the children are being exposed to rather than just the fact that they are viewing media on TV or on the internet. Your formatting is a little strange with different sizes of fonts and also, I think to make your blog a bit more "approachable", you could still break up your paragraphs a bit.

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    1. Heather!
      I am glad that you enjoyed my tie-in of media and childhood obesity. In all honesty, I didn't even notice the different font sizes until you pointed it out. And I think you are right in that I could break up the paragraphs a little bit more! Thanks for your insights!

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  3. I like the different fonts and use of media. I liked the idea that obesity is not only affecting by how much we watch, but what we watch on television. I also like how you began and ended the blog with some powerful facts or words that got my attention.
    You could add a little detail in a couple places. The length is challenging, but it could be good to talk about why advertising is so effective among kids and how kids are targeted. The industry plays to its advantages, and I think that would be good to mention.
    Well done. The use of the video adds a lot of information. It's great. :D
    Ammon Mayfield

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    1. Hey Ammon!
      Your feedback will be very beneficial to me as I begin to write my issues paper. I am planning on adding in quite a few more details about how and why the different types of media affect children. Your thoughts and ideas have been very helpful.
      Thanks!

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  4. I don't think that it is necessary correct to say the the epidemic of childhood obesity began in the 80s. It became more prevalent, but it did not all of the sudden begin in the 80s.

    I think it would be beneficial to your argument to explain how the increased number of food ads have increased in recent years and how that has led to a rise in obesity. Children don't buy their own food; their parents do. I think you should mention parents in this post as they feed their children.

    I don't follow your call to action. I don't think that it necessarily flows with your paper. You draw our attention to childhood obesity and the media and you tell us to look for it when we watch tv. How will that solve the problem? Where is your solution?

    You make good points and have a good argument, but you could add more to it to make it even better.

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