TV food ads increase automatic snacking by children and adults, according to Rudd Center researchers.
They found that children aged 7-11 years who watched a cartoon with food commercials ate 45 percent more snack food than children who watched the same cartoon with non-food commercials.
In another experiment, the researchers found that adults who saw unhealthy food ads on TV also ate significantly more than those who saw ads with a nutrition or healthy food message.
“This research shows a direct and powerful link between television food advertising and calories consumed by adults and children,” said [Rudd Center researcher] Dr. Jennifer Harris. “Food advertising triggers automatic eating, regardless of hunger, and is a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic. Reducing unhealthy food advertising to children is critical.”
The research is published in Health Psychology, July 2009
Read more: Rudd Center Health Digest, Aug 2009