February 1, 2012

ARTICLES: Fat Free TV – one step towards tackling childhood obesity



The impact of junk food advertising on childhood obesity is a topic often debated in the media. One side calls for banning junk food advertising during children's television viewing times while the other questions whether ad bans will work, decrying a "nanny state".
Some commentators choose to lay blame squarely on parents' shoulders, as if that alone will be enough to reverse the worrying levels of childhood obesity in Australia. But the complexity surrounding childhood obesity and the need to act cannot be denied.
One in four Australian children is considered overweight, and unfortunately a high proportion of these kids will become overweight adults. This increases their chance of developing chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

No comments: