Our Healthier Communities Initiatives are built on the concept that local communities can work together to give all community members healthy choices and support the pursuit of healthy lifestyles.  More than 160 Ys are working in collaboration with community leaders to make changes in policies and the physical surroundings in those communities so that healthy living is within reach for individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

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Healthy Eating Strategy #14: Reduce Advertisements of Unhealthy Foods and Beverages

Advertising impacts food choices. Studies show a correlation between exposure to food advertising on television and higher caloric intake. Reducing advertising of unhealthy foods has the potential to reduce the prevalence of overweight.

 

Advertising impacts food choices. Studies show a positive correlation between exposure to food advertising on television and higher caloric intake. How commercial advertising of foods contributes to the prevalence of obesity (directly or indirectly through inactivity) is yet unknown; but prohibiting advertisement of unhealthy items has the potential to reduce prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents, particularly males. In addition, a preliminary evaluation of the recent ban on giving toys away with unhealthy food/meals found that the ordinance led to revised menu boards that highlighted which meals met the nutritional requirements.

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References

1. Chou, S.Y., Rashad, I., & Grossman, M. (2008). Fast-food restaurant advertising on television and its influence on childhood obesity. The Journal of Law and Economics, 51(4), 599–618.
2. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004). The role of media in childhood obesity. http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/The-Role-Of-Media-in-Childhood-Obesity.pdf, Retrieved November 15, 2011.
3. Otten, J. (2010). Changes at fast food restaurants in response to the 2010 Santa Clara County, CA toy ordinance; Stanford University. Working paper.
4. Powell, L., Szczypka, G., & Chaloupka, F. (2010). Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 164(9), E1–E9.
5. Robinson, T. (1999). Reducing children's television to prevent obesity: A randomized control trial. JAMA, 282, 1561–1567.
6. Veerman, J.L., Van Beeck, E.F., Barendregt, J.J., & Mackenbach, J.P. (2009). By how much would limiting TV food advertising reduce childhood obesity? European Journal of Public Health, 19(4),
   365–369.

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