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How Media Drives Obesity in Children and Simple Counter Tactics

One the most important indicators of the state of health of Americans today may be the ever increasing rate of overweight and obese children. The Institute of Medicine has found that one-third of American children are either obese or at risk for obesity. The Center of Disease Control has found that, since 1980, the proportion of overweight children ages 6-11 has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the increase in childhood obesity represents and unprecedented burden on children’s health. “If we don’t deal with children, this could be the first generation that will live sicker and die younger than its parents,” states Dr. James S. Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which recently announced an unprecedented effort to reverse childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Obesity or being overweight is not only harmful to the self-esteem and mental health of youngsters in a society that places such high value on thinness, but there are serious physical health concerns as well. According to Dr. Melissa A. Kalt, Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, overweight kids are set up for premature health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even poor behavior in school like inattentiveness, disruptiveness, truancy, and low grade scores.

Some of the environmental factors that are thought to contribute to obesity are: over consumption of fast food, simple carbohydrates, soda, or other high calorie, high fat foods; larger and larger portion sizes; lack of exercise and/or more sedentary lifestyles; under consumption of whole foods, fruits and vegetables. However, what may be underlying all of these factors or at the very least exacerbating the issue is children and media.

Facts:

According to the Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity of the Federal Communications Commission, children today spend many hours each day watching television and are influenced by the programming and advertising they see.

The Kaiser Family Foundation states that young children cannot distinguish between programming content and advertising.

The U.S. Congress, Children’s Television Act of 1990 reports, by the time the average child is 18 years hold, he or she has spent between 10,000 and 15,000 hours watching television and has been exposed to more than 200,000 commercials.

Once research study documents that obesity in children increases the more hours they watch television. (Crespo, 2001)

Another research study shows that children who watch more than three ours of television a day are 50 percent more likely to be obese than kids who watch fewer than two hours. (Tremblay, 2003)

Another researcher reports that children who use a lot of media have a lower activity level which is linked to a higher rate of obesity (Vandewater, 2004)

According to the 2004 report “The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity” by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “during the same period in which childhood obesity has increased so dramatically, there has also been an explosion in media targeted to children: TV shows and videos, specialized cable networks, video games, computer activities and Internet Web sites.” And “much of the media targeted to children is laden with elaborate advertising campaigns, many of which promote foods such as candy, soda, and snacks.”

The Advertising Coalition reports that – billion is spent annually on kids’ food advertising.

One study documented approximately 11 food commercials per hour during children’s Saturday morning television programming, estimating that the average child viewer may be exposed to one food commercial every 5 minutes (Kotz, 1994)

Another study found that children’s food choices were significantly impacted by which ads they saw, i.e. either an ad for fruit or an ad for candy (Gorn, 1982)

Other researchers found that for each additional hour of television viewed per day, daily servings of fruits and vegetables decreased among adolescents possibly due to television advertising (Boynton-Jarret, R, 2003)
…

While many researchers and studies are still establishing the role of media in child obesity and overweight issues, (the direct link between advertising and obesity has not been officially established), the advertisers certainly know that TV ads can influence children’s and family consumer choices. For example, fast food outlets alone spend billion in television ads targeted to children. And according to “Advertising, Marketing and the Media: Improving Messages from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, food and beverage advertisers collectively spend billion to billion a year to reach children and youth.

So, what’s a parent to do to counteract unhealthy advertisements and the big dollars behind them? Here a few pointers on helping children be more healthy and fit:

First, educate them on the factors contributing to being overweight or obese:

1. Too much “fat foods” (fast foods, simple carbs, soda, energy drinks, cereal etc.)
2. Larger than life portion sizes
3. Not enough movement or exercise
4. Not enough whole foods (fruits, vegetables, whole wheat bread, whole grains etc.)

Second, reduce poor food choices in the home. Refuse to buy the sodas and sugar cereals or insist that these only be indulged in after a healthy meal.

Third, make whole food choices easy for them to prepare (i.e. pre washed, cut up fruits and veggies; oatmeal; smoothies; whole wheat bread; pre-cooked healthy snacks/meals like cubed chicken breast, string cheese, hard-boiled eggs, in single serving size containers. Make it tasty and easy (see green smoothie recipe below).

Fourth, encourage them to exercise (i.e. refuse to drive them to school; sign them up for sports; play with them outdoors; get a dog and go for daily walks). Make it fun.

Fifth, limit television hours per day. And teach them how they can mute the commercials or “tevo” the show and fast forward through the commercials.

And finally, teach them that being fit and healthy means eating healthy foods and exercising, in direct contrast to how television shows and advertisements portray super skinny people eating chips and drinking soda, it’s just not true. And educate them on the fact that advertisers make their money by portraying beautiful people eating junk food.

EASY, YUMMY recipe for “green smoothies”:
Give Your Kids a Great Dose of Fresh, Raw Servings of Fruits and Vegetables
(shhhhh, tastes so good, your kids won’t even know there is spinach in there!)

1. Put about 2 cups water in the blender
2. Add a few handfuls of spinach or kale or chard, blend until smooth
3. Add fruit, 1-2 bananas and 1-2 C frozen blueberries or mixed berries or fruit etc.
4. If you must, add a small amount of sweetener of choice.
5. Smoothie will be purple and yummy and you’d never know there were healthy greens hiding in the mix, ENJOY!

(Go for a green smoothie over a soda! Children who drink just one soft drink a day are 60 percent more likely to become obese, according to a 2001 study by Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital.)
…

Sources:

Boynton-Jarret, R, et al, (2003) Impact of Television Viewing Patterna on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Adolescents, Pediatrics 112(2003)6:1321-1326

Crespo, Carlos J. et al, (2001), Television Watching, Energy Intake, and Obesity in U.S. Children, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 155, 360-365

Eating Habits of Infants and Children Affect Health and Performance. HealthLink Medical College of Wisconsin. http://www.healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002925.html

Federal Communications Commission: Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity. http://www.fcc.gov/obesity/

Gorn, G, et al, Behavioral Evidence of the Effects of televised Food Messages on Children, Journal of Consumer Research 9 (1982): 200-205

Kotz, K. et al, (1994), Food Advertisements during Children’s Saturday Morning Television Programming: Are They Consistent with Dietary Recommendations?” Journal of the American Dietic Association 94(1994)11:1296-1300

National Institute on Media and the Family: Media Use And Obesity Among Children. http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_tvandobchild.shtml

Tremblay, M.S. et al, (2003), Is the Canadian child obesity epidemic related to physical inactivity? International Journal of Obesity, 27, 1100-1105

The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity: This Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief that reviews more than 40 studies on the role of media in the nation’s dramatically increasing rates of childhood obesity explores what researchers do and do not know about the role media plays in childhood obesity. It also outlines media-related policy options that have been proposed to help address childhood

U.S.News article “Childhood Obesity Epidemic a Long-Term Challenge” http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/070920/childhood-obesity-epidemic-a-long-term-challenge.htm

An Action Plan to Encourage Safer Driving Amongst Young People

Research from the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has revealed that age, inexperience and gender are the factors the impact most on the safety of young drivers.

Motorists under the age of 20 years old are more at risk of being involved in a car accident because of their lack of experience behind the wheel. Drivers under the age of 25 years old have an exceptionally high chance of being seriously injured or killed in crashes; and young men are almost twice as likely of being involved in a smash as young women.

A ten-point action plan has been drawn up as a guide for young drivers to try to make the roads safer for them and other users.

1.    Novice motorists need to have a better understanding of driving on a variety of road conditions. Drivers are most at risk driving at night, in poor visibility and poor weather and when on rural roads.

2.    Make learner drivers aware of when, where and why they are most likely to be involved in an incident on the roads. By doing so, it will help to better prepare them to deal with these situations should they occur.

3.    Integrating road safety education into core school curriculum will help young people learn the risks and responsibilities of road users, both as divers or passengers.    

4.    Offer guidance to parents on helping to make their children become safer drivers through extra, supervised driving practice in the family car.

5.    Car insurance companies should recognise that practicing in the family car before taking a test is low risk and so premiums should reflect that accordingly.

6.     The minority of young drivers, mostly males, who are identified as dangerous motorists should go through a corrective education and driver-training programme.

7.    Remove reckless, uninsured and unlicensed young drivers from the roads through the power of police enforcement and the law courts.

8.    Prior to the driving test, an emphasis on training and improvement should be made priority, ensuring it covers the scope of roads and conditions novice drivers will face.

9.    Investment in features such as skid-resistant surfaces and crash barriers will make roads more forgiving on inexperienced drivers and reduce fatalities by removing potentially lethal roadside objects.

10.    Encourage the adoption of new technologies like Electronic Stability Control in new cars, which will ultimately be driven in years to come by new motorists. 

Young People to the Rescue!

If you are under 30 you can expect to live in a much different world by the time your kids are ready for college. The Earth’s population will have just about doubled by then and climate change and the energy crisis will no longer be something you read about, but have to live with every day. If certain people and organizations get their way you will be under constant surveillance by the government and private security companies and will have lost many of your rights and civil liberties.

Most of you know this and sense that your parents are not doing what is necessary to protect your future so you can have the same opportunities they have enjoyed. Many of you are outraged – and you should be. How could the baby boomer generation take such advantage of our resources and leave nothing for you?

Before you decide to condemn everyone over 50 let’s first take a look at what they did accomplish when they were your age. Coming into the 60’s the US had some serious civil rights problems, and we had almost no awareness of how our lifestyles might harm the environment. By the mid-60’s the US was fully engaged in a bloody civil war being fought in Vietnam and Cambodia. The baby boomers were outraged. They took to the streets and began a series of mostly peaceful protests that got the attention of the Establishment and Government. By the time these kids were in their 30’s and having children of their own they had managed to initiate great social change that made our world a better place.

Women and minorities gained the same rights as everyone else and the environmental movement was born. By getting the attention of the media these young people managed to convince our society to pull out of Vietnam. Up until this time we had a draft and every young man could be taken by the military at any time. At the end of this social revolution the draft had been cancelled and service in the military became strictly voluntary. The Baby Boomers made real progress in reducing repression and injustice and opened up a whole new era of freedom and prosperity. The point here is that it was young people who were the ones who initiated these changes then, and it is the young people who will initial the changes now.

OK. That was then and this is now. These same revolutionaries have become older and less passionate – less willing to take risks. They have become comfortable and resistant to change. If you are expecting them to wake up and take to the streets again you are not being realistic – they simply no longer have the drive to take on the establishment the way they did when they were younger and more idealistic. They need leadership – and the only place they are going to find it is with you.

Whenever I get a chance to talk to young people about how they feel about what is going on they tell me that they are outraged. Then I ask why we are not all out in the streets in protest, most say; “We are out protesting, we just are doing it online”.

The Internet makes it possible to connect with people from all over the world in a way that has never before been possible. Online is the place to organize and share information…but until you are able to get the attention of the media and the powers that be (we used to call them the Establishment) very little will change.

This is your time and you will inherent this world. It is up to you to make sure you’re your parents and your government take notice and listen to you. If you do a good job of this then your parents will wake-up and come to your aid. If you provide the leadership these former hippies and activists will follow. They are waiting for you to show them the way.

To begin with you need to organize events on the web that are large enough and powerful enough to get the attention of the media. For example you could organize a 24-hour forum with millions all over the world participating. If 10 million people are all logged on at the same time this becomes a newsworthy event. The forum could be targeted at a single issue like Climate Change or the War in Iraq. If 10 million people are all protesting the War or insisting on new solar energy power plants that is news.

I know that most of you do not think much of the media, but they are the channel though which you can reach the people that most need to hear your message. There are some really great reporters out there who do really care. Find out who they are and involve them in what you are doing. Send out press releases well in advance and invite the press to participate. I am sure that if some of you got together and thought about it you would be able to come up with a number of more creative newsworthy events that you can promote through the media. Get your parents involved if at all possible. Many of them have done this before. I bet they will have some ideas that even you have not thought of.

Secondly, you will need to take actions and create events that take place outside of cyberspace. Even though most of you are Internet savvy, many of the folks you need to reach are not. Beyond that people tend to respond much more to experiences that take place in the “real world”. If 1 million teenagers marched on Washington to protest the war the media would be forced to cover it. If in every town and city in the country young people lined up outside the local power plants with signs saying we need Solar Power Now, the media would be forced to cover it. With the Internet you could organize a worldwide event that could not be ignored. Can you imagine the stir it would cause if 50 million young people from all over the world all laid down on the steps of local government offices to protest civil rights violations at the same time? The media and the general public would be forced to sit up and take notice.

You are the leaders now – and we are all waiting to follow your lead

Should Young People Exercise?

Most young people under the age of 20 tend to have higher metabolic rates and be more flexible and energetic than older individuals. However, they too need to practice age appropriate exercise in order to avoid becoming obese, stay fit and trim and build up their stamina and strength.

Today, many young people don’t get enough exercise mainly because of the electronic alternatives that occupy much of their time. The growing or formative years are very important because they lay the foundations for what later become healthy or poor habits so it is essential to stress the importance of a good diet and exercise among children while they are growing up itself.

It is understandable that sometimes children can get easily bored with a set exercise routine designed for adults. However, it is not necessary for them to be involved in organized group sports only. Most youngsters equally enjoy a jog with an adult, or a game of tennis, swimming, golf, martial arts, bicycling, gymnastics among other interesting sports.

Adults should not give hypocritical or inconsistent advice to children as they are quite sensitive to it. Therefore, grown ups should be prepared to practice what they preach and exercise along with their children. By doing so they can not only ensure that their children are exercising in a safe and proper manner but it also helps them to spend quality time with their children and participate in activities that will benefit them both.

It is very important for both adults and children to warm up before trying out a vigorous work out as if its too painful initially the individual is less likely to continue. A few minutes of static and dynamic stretching really helps to avoid injury. Therefore, one should start with a simple routine and gradually build up ones strength over time.

Exercise routines should be tailored keeping in mind the child’s age group.

For children between the ages of 4 to 7 it is important for them to focus on building basic developing skills such as coordination and balance. It is during these formative years that a child’s eye hand coordination and motor skills are still fluid. Skipping, Hopscotch and other simple activities help guide the development of these skills and these are activities that children naturally have a fondness for.

For children around the ages of 8 or so, vigorous exercise is advised as it helps keep their metabolism active and prevents food from turning into fat. Here again adults need to guide children towards inculcating good exercise habits and avoid injury. However, weight training for pre teens is generally unnecessary and risky.

On the other hand gymnastics is ideal for children in this age group. It helps strengthen the basic motor skills learned earlier while developing balance and keeps the endocrine system healthy and active.

For teens the possibilities in exercise are endless as they possess the basic bone and muscle structure that enables them to participate in high performance activities. But here too care should be taken to ensure that they get the proper guidance that will help prevent injuries.

Most teens should be given an outlet to express their endless energy. Therefore, they should be encouraged towards achieving positive goals such as those of fitness, endurance and high scores.

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A Meaningful Future for Young People with Mental Illness

Transitioning to adulthood is a daunting task for most young people — it can include striving to graduate from high school; finding a full-time job or entering college; living independently; forming long-term relationships and becoming a parent. Although their goals and desires may be the same as those of their peers, young people who have a mental illness or substance use disorder, especially those who are transitioning from institutional care, face an even more challenging road. For the many youths who reside in residential treatment facilities or foster homes, turning 21 can feel like falling off a cliff.

A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report (2008) outlined the many challenges facing approximately 2.4 million non-institutionalized young people, ages 18 to 26, who have serious mental illnesses and are transitioning from child to adult delivery systems of care. The report, which excludes children who are homeless, in foster care, or in the juvenile or criminal justice systems, nevertheless identified significant hurdles in obtaining housing, health and mental health treatment, and employment. The young people GAO studied are far less likely than their peers to graduate from high school (64% versus 83%) or to enter college (32% versus 51%).

Although the GAO report raises important policy issues that should be addressed by states and the federal government, the study has serious gaps. For example, it failed to include the young people most at risk for chronic homelessness or incarceration, those who may have the most difficult time transitioning: young people with a mental illness, regardless of diagnosis, who are institutionalized or already living on the streets.

The GAO study focused on the public service system; that is the formal services and supports kids receive as they go from one birthday to the next. Various program eligibility rules differ drastically for children and adults. One in four children receiving SSI will fail to qualify as adults. Similar problems occur with Medicaid. The report also noted the failure of adult programs to address the unique needs of young adults: What 24-yearold wants to spend time in group therapy where the average age of the other participants is 47? These important problems must be addressed, but meager income supports and formal mental health treatment can only do so much to guide a young person through both the morass of public programs and the overwhelming daily challenges of life as an adult.

For young people with serious mental illness to succeed in the adult world, they need more than treatment. They need to be truly integrated into their communities. They need jobs that offer skills, dignity, independence, and peers. And they need a responsible and caring older adult who can help them make better choices, learn from their mistakes, and applaud their successes, no matter how small.

National mental health organizations, as community providers, can create those opportunities through their own programs or appropriate community collaborations. The Children’s Village in Westchester, New York, which serves foster children in a residential treatment center, is an example worthy of mention. The Children’s Village created a transition-age youth program, Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY), for kids who are at the highest risk of incarceration, homelessness, and joblessness. The program starts in the residential facility and continues for 5 years after the youths enter the community.

The core elements of the WAY program for transitioning youths are as follows: Educational advocacy and tutoring to facilitate school success; work experiences and work ethics training to enable participants to build work histories and a sense of themselves as workers; group activities and workshops to promote a positive peer culture and help youth develop life skills; and financial incentives to help youth plan, save, and believe in their futures; and long-term, individualized counseling/ mentoring to help WAY participants meet challenges and solve problems.

The counseling and mentoring component is not an “add-on” service or a volunteer program. Each young person is assigned a paid, trained WAY counselor, and their relationship forms the core of the WAY experience, providing personal and intensive emotional support and practical guidance at every step of the way in the youth’s young adulthood. Counselors are to be coaches, cheerleaders, surrogate parents, advocates, teachers, and friends. Most important, counselors stick with the young people during the worst times, no matter how far off track they get.

Community mental health organizations like WAY focus on education, job preparation, and the professional counselor has been effective in changing the expected paths for many young people. Compared with their peers, participants in these therapy programs are much more likely to stay in or complete educational programs, be employed, and avoid involvement in the criminal justice system. Ninety-five percent of the young adults who have completed the WAY program were in school, employed, or had obtained a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Vinfen, a community mental health organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is another example of a community provider working to address the unique needs of youths with mental illnesses as they transition to adulthood. Vinfen uses the evidence supported Transition to Independence Process model (TIP) developed by the National Center on Youth Transition at the University of South Florida. The TIP system promotes independence using a trained facilitator/mentor to assist youths in developing and implementing their own educational, career and independent living goals. The facilitator works with each youth to identify and strengthen a social support network that can include family, friends and other caring and responsible adults.

Vinfen acknowledges that using a self-determination model like TIP to assist transition-age youths requires acceptance of some risk on behalf of providers and state agencies. We know that young adults are not in the best position developmentally to make the best decisions and that decision making is influenced by the many negative experiences youths may have in their families (e.g., death of a parent or caregiver and abuse or neglect), in foster care and while institutionalized, or in detention. It is the facilitator’s job to assist young people in seeing a different future for themselves–a future that may include a high school diploma and college; a full-time job and a vocation; a safe and stable living situation; and healthy, enjoyable relationships.

Although transition-age youths with mental illness may always need traditional mental health services, treatment alone is not enough to ensure that “system kids” will make a successful transition to community life as adults. Organizations like the Children’s Village and Vinfen have demonstrated the importance of providing trained adults to help young people set and meet the kinds of goals we have for all children: that they live happy and productive lives, as independently as possible, surrounded by supportive people who love them.

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