David Coleman-Roush Dr. Isaac ENGL 101-D12 19 April 2015 The Couch-Potato Conundrum: TV leads to obesity In contemporary society, the most consumed medium in almost every household across the world is television. People spend a considerable amount of time watching television. Some studies indicate that in an average 65-year lifespan, an individual spends 9 years watching television (Jenvey 811). It is then not surprising to realize that the average person spends 22 hours each week watching television (Jenvey 811). An average American household has 2.24 TVs with an estimated 6 million videos rented daily (Jensen 811). The consequences of spending such a considerable amount of time watching television are weight gain and obesity. The …show more content…
Hence, children are deceptively conned into becoming lifelong consumers of these fast foods which increases the probability that many of them will become obese before they become adults. The indoctrination of regularly subscribing to advertised content encourages a sedentary lifestyle comprised of easily acquired fast food delivered to people’s homes. Earlier studies concluded that without regular physical activities, the probability of gaining weight increases exponentially for a person. However, contemporary research indicates that even with irregular physical activities and a moderate sedentary lifestyle, the probability of gaining weight remains high for the average person. In their study, Vik et al. (7) concluded that the odds of gaining weight in children increased among those who ate lunch and dinner while watching television. They argue that “TV watching may be associated with more ‘mindless’ eating, and may thus increase the amount of foods and thus the amount of calories consumed” (Vik et al. 7). Hence, even among individuals who regularly engage in physical activities, the probability of weight gain increases relative to
In the precedent few years, Type 2 diabetes has risen radically among children and adolescents. Experts consider this increase is due to the high rate of overweight and obesity (Cutting TM, Fisher JO, Grimm-Thomas K, Birch LL1999). One of the core reasons of children obesity is watching television. Technology is a vast accessory that millions of people use commonly in daily life. Television could be the most-used technological product of all. Millions of people now have as a minimum one television in their home. Though television seems like an immense thing to have, it has its disadvantages. Television can pessimistically influence people, mainly kids. A number of observational studies have originated an association between television watching and child and adolescent obesity. Moreover, it is recognized that American children spend more time watching television and playing video games than doing something else apart from sleeping. Researchers conducted a randomized, controlled test to assess the effects of reducing television, videotape, and video game use on changes in adiposity, physical activity, and dietary intake (Fisher JO, Birch LL. 1995). “The previous twenty five years have caused such a spectacular increase in childhood obesity. Technology, overeating and lack of physical activity can all contribute to obesity”. Birch LL, Fisher JO. Development of eating behaviors among children and adolescents. Pediatr
The most basic regulation of weight loss or gain is the amount of energy we put into our body needs to be equally exerted to stay the same. If we put more in, it leads to weight gain and less energy in leads to weight loss. (6) Over the past years our standard portion sizes, from the home to restaurants, have almost doubled. (7) Foods higher in fat and lower in fibre are being consumed more regularly. Skipping breakfast also is contributing to a poorer daily quality of diet. (8) Poor diet quality and lack of physical exercise are major contributions to weight gain and a high BMI. In children, a high level of television viewing has also been linked to weight gain and obesity, through its link to lack of physical activity. (9) These factors are behavioural and choices we make on a daily basis but although a large cause of obesity is not the only
These corporations know that we have long work hours, chronic stress, and lack of sleep, making us prone to put on excessive weight. They increase portion sizes, create more opportunities for snack times, for example vending machines in schools and add ingredients to foods that make you want to eat more. Examples of common ingredients in foods and drinks that can cause you to want to eat more are: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, aspartame and refined mineral-depleted salt(“Food Industry and Obesity”). Because of this knowledge factory owners know exactly what to do to get us to buy their products, therefore making us vulnerable to excessive weight gain.Not only do food companies target adult, but also children. Bill Whitaker, a CBS News correspondent conducted a similar study of TV ads on kids. The results showed that American children are bombarded with commercials for unhealthy foods that contain a lot of salt, fat, and sugars.Children are an easy target for the food industry. Young and impressionable, children are eager to eat whatever looks and tastes good.(Voiland and Haupt). The food industry is now capable of influencing the youth of America, making it easier to raise the rate of being overweight and or obese. Mcdonald's being the largest fast food industry has found ways to attract children. A cheeseburger Happy Meal has 520 calories, 20 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 50
Even when controlling for ethnicity and socioeconomic status, results still indicate that watching TV contribute significantly to obesity. For example, a study conducted in the United Kingdom concluded that an increase in TV hours on weekends correlated with higher BMIs at 30 years of age. For each added hour of time spent watching TV on weekends at age 5, obesity risk increased by 7%. The impact of watching TV on children’s weight is even more pronounced when there is a TV set in the child’s bedroom. A study of children between the ages of 9 to 12 suggested that having a TV set in their bedroom significantly increased risks of obesity, regardless of physical activity. Moreover, when TV viewing time is decreased, obesity as well as other measures of adiposity are reduced as well. Multiple studies have also documented the positive association between increased TV exposure and increase risks of childhood obesity in the Latino
The food industry has mastered the delicate art of trickery over many years and has been able to convince consumers to buy their products, thinking they are healthy, when in reality they are contributing immensely to the obesity epidemic in America. Food corporations have developed a marketing strategy where they target juvenile audiences with their products. The companies do this by having advertisements on children's television programs encouraging children to buy their processed, high-sugar food products. Companies get kids’ attention by including beloved children's figures with their commercials, thus piquing their interest. Children view their favorite characters on television programs and ask their parents or guardians to purchase the items for them and the parents, remaining blissfully unaware that they are relinquishing their child's health to mass food corporations, concede and buy the food, which causes their child to become unhealthy and eventually obese. Another way food companies market their products is by embedding their advertisements with words like “Cheap, easy, fast”, which appeals to low income families looking for a inexpensive meal, or families on the go that need to quickly get a bite to eat. Due to the fact that unhealthy fast food choices are often the easiest method for gaining a quick meal, more and more families are
As we intake calories we must work them out. Dr. Michael Omidi, co-founder of The Children’s Obesity Fund. says “However, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the lack of physical exercise in children is the main culprit in the startling rise of childhood obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and all other types of preventable medical conditions.” As we grow up we start our exercise in our schools physical education class. As we become young teens in junior high we start getting fewer exercise because it isn’t mandatory to get a P.E. the whole year. Once getting to high school many states only require to at least have 1 P.E. credit to graduate. It’s unbelievable how the American education system works, how they slowly cut our physical activity leading the young Americans to obesity. If schools provided more physical activity and made it mandatory for kids to have a P.E. credit for every year, our children obesity rate wouldn’t be as high. Our technology has begun to take over many Americans lives, and according to “obesity in children and technology”, “A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2014 monitored the habits of 1,003 sixth-graders. The researchers found that kids who spent more time in front of a screen -- whether it was a computer, TV or video game -- snacked more often and ate fewer healthy snacks than children who used
Obesity has had a significant impact on American. In the United States, the statistic shows more than 69% of adult are either obese or overweight. Even children have become heavier as well. Approximately 17% of American children in the age range between 2 to 11 has nearly three times the prevalence from one generation ago (X). People in this generation are not as active as their ancestor or parents. Many adults and children are obsessing with electronic devices that they would sit in the chair for hours. Physical inactivity and poor diet are a significant threat to health that may overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death (square). Obesity did not happen overnight; it happens over time. The body weight of our body is the result of the choices we make: food, environment, and exercise. When the energy we take in from food is not in balance with the energy we burn from exercise will result in increased weight. Obese people require extensive attention to their health and it can affect their daily basic life routines.
In today’s world television has become one of the most popular and frequently used pastimes. With the increase of technology available today people can now watch television on their phones, laptops, and tablets wherever they go. Something else that has increased in the past years are the number of obese people in the United States. In the last couple decades it was estimated that the number of obese children age 2-5 has more than doubled (5.0% to 12.4%) and for ages 6-11 it has also more than doubled (6.5% to 17.0%). In adolescents aged 12-19 the number has more than tripled (5.0% to 17.0%) and as for adults it is estimated that 70% of Americans are overweight and out of that percentage 50% are obese (Boulos, Vikre, Oppenheimer, Chang, & Kanarek, 2012). It is no coincidence that as the number of prolonged television use has risen so has the number of obese people in America. Television has a negative impact on children that in the long run can lead to obesity.
Eating unhealthy sustenances routinely like quick sustenances, prepared merchandise and candy machine snacks builds weight (Mayo establishment). Research shows that right around 33% of the U.S. kids between ages four and nineteen eat fast food consistently; bringing about a weight pick up of around six additional pounds every year, per kid (NACHRI). Fast food utilization has expanded fivefold among kids since 1970. As a result of the wealth and accessibility of unfortunate nourishments, kids are inclined to getting plainly overweight or obese when their dietary patterns are not adjusted with an adequate measure of physical movement technology, for example, PC’s, TV’s, and computer games can likewise add to youth obesity.
The topic of obesity and its increasing prevalence has captured much attention in the course of several decades. With over 36 percent of the American adult population considered obese between 2011-2014, speculations about its cause, contribution to chronic health conditions, and economic burdens have received considerable awareness (Ogden, Carroll, Fryar and Flegal, 2015). Commonly in research, obesity levels are measured through the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale. A BMI of 25-30 is considered overweight, and a BMI of greater than 30 is considered obese (Stommel and Schoenborn, 2009). The risk of death increases with higher BMI (due to obesity related comorbidities) accounting for nearly 300,000 deaths annually. These trends have been observed across all age groups, both genders, all educational levels, races, and smoking statuses (Aronne, 2001). While diet and energy intake have been on the forerunner when explaining weight gain, another recent trend which has been gaining notice is the shift towards a sedentary lifestyle among the US population (Blair & Brodney, 1999). In 2000, the CDC approximated that less than 30 percent of the American population gets the adequate amount of physical activity (Caballero, 2007). Physical inactivity was associated with 54% higher odds of obesity, while socioeconomic status and societal conditions further influenced its prevalence (Singh, Siahpush, Hiatt, and Timsina, 2011). As a result, in addition to weight-related diseases, obesity
Childhood Obesity is sometimes caused by the output of advertisements for food but not only food but junk food. In our nation we have a rising rate of diabetes and obesity.“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the average American ate almost 20% more calories in the year 2000 than they did in 1983, thanks, in part, to a boom in meat consumption,”(Obesity Prevention). And because of this people are gaining weight rapidly. “This means less exercise each day. According to one study, only 20% of today’s jobs require at least moderate physical activity, as opposed to 50% of jobs in 1960,”(Obesity Prevention). And because of us not exercising as much as we used to we are not burning off as many calories as we are taking in. Obesity is a growing problem along with Childhood obesity in our country with the growing amount of advertisements for junk food and big companies not offering very good or
While the fast food is really harmful after an excessive amount, fast food chains and their advertisements are often blamed too harshly. Advertising is not the main cause and blame for childhood obesity. Ads simply promote one brand name over another. They do not persuade people to do things they are not already doing (Moerdyk, 2008). They already drink cold drinks, eat food, drive cars, and buy groceries. The advertising tries to get people who already drink cold drinks to try theirs, drive their cars, and buy at their store. “The reason we have so many fat, unhealthy kids who get involved in drugs and all sorts of other bad habits has got little to do with advertising and a lot to do with parents who don't give a darn what programs their kids watch on TV or what movies they go to” (Moerdyk, 2008).
According to the Prevention Institute, since 2010 fast food and junk food industries are spending about $5 million every day marketing unhealthy foods to children. More than 95% of all food advertisements being viewed by children, are about products that are high in fat, sugar and sodium. Since children are the most vulnerable, industries are aiming their advertisements to children through television, the internet, posters or billboards or any other media source possible. Not only are these foods being promoted in public areas where children can see them, but they are also being promoted inside of schools. Most schools are making money out of this easy business by selling big industry products that are said to be healthy for their students. These healthy products are known for example to be low in fat potato chips, ice cream and even low in sugar soda. In reality these products being sold are more sugar-filled, rather than with nutrients to enhance students health. This is causing students to gain weight and develop diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes, that was never seen before among children and teenagers. These corporations are hiding the real facts from people and are tricking people into buying their new “healthy” and renovated products. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention department, currently obesity is affecting 1 in 6 children and adolescents in the United States. This results to approximately 17% (or 12.7 million) of children and
The commercials feature animated characters selling fast food kid meals. Children relate with the cartoon characters and want to eat the foods that are being promoted. Children receive the message that fast food is good for them, and do not understand that eating too much fast food can be unhealthy for them. Unfortunately the message from this type of advertising is geared toward the child thinking I need to have the fast food. This is a bad message to leave in children?s minds, because it can also cause problems with their health. The obesity rate in young children has risen drastically over the last twenty years. Health reports have attributed this to the continuing increase in the amount of fast food children are consuming. Television commercials for fast food are on every channel, and the number of channels has risen over the last twenty years. Children who watch television are exposed to a non-stop borage of commercials. This continual exposure promotes a cycle of the child always wanting to go to the fast food restaurants. Parents also are affected by the commercials. Their children want to eat fast food, and the fast food is very convenient for busy families. It is much easier to go through a drive-thru and order the food, then to cook the meal at home. This can be a harmful pattern for the family to establish. Convenience over a more healthy home cooked meal adds to the childhood obesity
The Media is a big thing for obesity. Body + Soul mums, is a website about tips for mums and how technology is affecting their children. There studies show that television is the reason why Australian diet and activity has changed. Through this direct quote from body + soul mums“The relationship between obesity and television-watching is as true for the preschooler as it is for the older child. The excess weight accumulates over the years, so the younger a child starts logging up hours in front of the TV, the more years they have to accumulate fat” it shows the effect of sitting in front of the television for too long. This statement has negative effects on teenagers and kids because they are become inactive and their body isn’t getting the fitness it needs.