Childhood Obesity: The Impact of Media, Essay Example

Abstract

Obesity has emerged as a menace in the modern society due to the sedentary lifestyles in children as well as adults. The role of media, particularly television has largely been blamed for turning children as well as adults into ‘couch potatoes’. The combined effects of lack of physical activity and consumption of nutritionally deficient junk food advertised on the television have faced scathing attacks by health protagonists and sociologists. The following paper examines the role played by media in increasing childhood obesity in particular, and highlights the importance of preventive measures in removing this scourge from the modern society.

Introduction

Obesity has surfaced as a major problem in the last part of the twentieth century and engulfed a major chunk of the population in the developed world, especially the United States where 12.5 million children, which represented 17.1% of the child population at that particular time, and 32.2% of the adult population, were found to be obese in the years 2003-2004 (UMHS). The situation has worsened since then. The latest figures suggest that prevalence of obesity among children as young as 2 to 5 years of age has increased exponentially from 5.0% to 12.4%, among children ages 6 to 11 it has increased from 6.5% to 17.0% and among adolescents in the age range of 12 to 19, the prevalence of obesity has more than tripled, from 5.0% to 17.6% (FCC). The awareness is there, but no concrete step has been taken to check this menace. As a result, incidents of obesity related disorders are increasing day by day. Before any steps to treat a disease are undertaken, a physician always admonishes the patient for not following preventive measures which would have eliminated the chances of getting that particular disease in the first place. The case with obesity is likewise. The precipitating factors must be identified so that the root cause is removed, rather than depending on post scenario measures to cure the resultant ailments.

The interesting fact which surfaces as one observes the lifestyle changes during this period is the emergence of automation in every aspect of life. Tremendous advances in technology have yielded machines and tools which simplify the hitherto difficult tasks in daily life, such as cooking, eating, walking, cleaning, communicating with others, etc. all such tasks are now carried out with one or the other marvels of technology which at first appeared marvelous but are now proving detrimental and against the laws of nature. The dependence on electronics and machines for such simple tasks has constrained the human body within the confines of a technological juggernaut which dictates it’s every action. The situation has been complicated with the emergence of media such as television and the internet which have hammered in the last nail in the coffin of physical activity. This, combined with the availability of fat rich fast food, which is just a phone call or a mouse click away easily illustrates the precipitating cause for this malady.

If one considers all the major technological innovations of the last century, television emergences as the single culprit which has brought human life to a standstill. Light itself is one of the major stimuli which grab the rapt attention of a new born infant who is mesmerized by its deep impact on the psyche due to the fascination it impinges on the sense of vision. Make light dance and perform in a specific manner and even adults can’t stay away from its fascinating visual effects. Taming light into a box which constantly delivers a series of audio visual stimuli is what television actually is. There is no phase in the modern person’s life where television is not there. It’s in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, the office, supermarket, school, in fact everywhere. Add to it the plethora of entertainment, news, movies and sports channel and one is left with nothing else but watch television throughout his or her life. Further innovations like video games and consoles have served to glue the present generation to the idiot box permanently.

A typical child in the United States now watches television for at least three hours per day and the figures for obesity in children have also skyrocketed concurrently due to this single factor (Nakaya, 2006). Research conducted in this regard has resulted in a plethora of literature which has yielded pertinent information about the definite correlation between television viewing and obesity in children. It has been seen that the level of obesity is directly proportional to the number of hours a child spends watching television. Medical research has gone to the extent of claiming that even a few hours of television are far from harmlessness and can adversely affect the physical characteristics of the child (Nakaya, 2006). Time spent in front of the television is akin to complete rest with the least amount of calorie burn by the body. Combine it with the lucrative and alluring advertisements for food, which can be ordered on the phone and consumed on the couch while still watching one’s favorite show and the reason for obesity will not be oblivious to anyone. Ever since television was popularized in the 60s, pertinent regulatory authorities were concerned about children and the original endeavor was to develop and televise instructional and educational programs which enhanced their knowledge and prevented their exposure to unnecessary and harmful commercials (FCC).   But the actual situation has gone so out of hand that according to the figures published by the U.S. Congress, Children’s Television Act of 1990, by the time an average child is 18 years old, he or she has spent between 10,000 and 15,000 hours watching television and has been exposed to more than 200,000 commercials (FCC).   According to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) position paper published in February 2001, it has been claimed that “children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the messages conveyed through television, which influence their perceptions and behaviors. Many younger children cannot discriminate between what they see and what is real. Research has shown primary negative health effects on violence and aggressive behavior; sexuality; academic performance; body concept and self-image; nutrition, dieting, and obesity; and substance use and abuse patterns.” (Carroll, 2006).

Nutritional factors have also played an important role since the junk food advertised in television commercials is nutrient starved and calorie rich. The fast pace of modern life has increased the consumption of fast food and family meals on the dining table are a thing of the past. Children are allured by the professionally prepared and embellished food advertisements which are directed to attract their attention and strong likings for particular brands of fast food and colas become deeply ingrained in the young minds. This has created a culture which is directly opposed to what the nature intended for the human body. A growing child is expected to be physically active in order to develop properly in terms of mind as well as body and must consume only a nutritionally balanced diet according to the facts of scientific research that has contributed so much for human longevity and convenience. The basic tenets of scientific research stand ignored due to the errant lifestyle that has emerged over the last few decades and is the reason for the obesity epidemic.

In order to address the problem of obesity which is staring humanity at this juncture, very drastic steps need to be taken to reverse the trend. Both government and private social humanitarian organizations have initiated steps in this direction. One such organization is the Henry J. Kaiser family Foundation (KFF) which addresses health related issues across the United States (kff.org). In one of its reports, the KFF has highlighted the issues related to media and its impact on childhood obesity. One interesting fact in this report is the attribution of the cause for obesity not to the demerits of the television medium as a source of entertainment alone, but the enormous level of advertisements of junk food promoted by private companies which impact the children in the most harmful manner imaginable. Television alone does not offset the physical activity in children as much as the consumption of food advertised on it (kff.org). This is the issue which needs to be tackled effectively and such advertisements banned totally. The television medium now needs to provide radically opposite programs which encourage children to consume nutritive foods by linking them to children’s’ favorite programs and cartoon characters. However skeptics point out that banning junk food advertisements alone will not address the issue as has been shown by the failure of such endeavors in other countries such as Sweden, Norway and the Quebec region in Canada (Grover, 2008). Television viewing has changed over the last few years as it has become more interactive and it has been observed that children usually flip channels with the remote when advertisements are displayed. According to the author, the problem of obesity lies in time management and the level of activity of parents as well, as it has been observed that despite viewing television, children of active parents who involve children in such activities too, are not obese (Grover, 2008). Most obesity researchers and health professionals believe that the menace can be curbed by taking preventive rather than curative interventions (Wexler, 2008). This is not only cost effective as compared to the tremendous expenditure involved in handling the post scenario situation but also the only alternative available at present. The Surgeon General had given a ‘Call to action’ to encourage such preventive measures across the US in which active participation from parents, families, communities, employers and workers was sought (Wexler, 2008). One of the latest reports on handling the obesity problem suggests that all local governments across the country should provide children and families with access to grocery stores which provide plenty of health food such as fruits and vegetables instead of junk food (Hellmich, 2009). The report adds another clause that fast food joints should not be allowed to operate within the vicinity of schools.

Conclusion

The issue of obesity is staring mankind in the face and it has assumed such proportions that it necessitates immediate measures to address the issue in an effective and realistic manner. There are controversies surrounding every issue that confronts mankind from time to time but the experience and tremendous tools of technology are available to be exploited in the best possible manner. Man has to go back to nature and live as intended by it to get rid of the ills of self inflicted suffering due to mismanagement of technologies developed for his own benefit.

References

Carroll, J. (2006). Television Is Responsible for the Obesity Epidemic: Opposing Viewpoints: Television. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

FCC, Media & Childhood Obesity, online article accessed Dec. 4, 2009 at: http://www.fcc.gov/obesity/

Grover, J. (2008). Banning Fast-Food Advertising Would Not Reduce Childhood Obesity: Current Controversies- Food. Detroit: Green haven Press, 2008.

Hellmich, N. (2009). Report maps out solutions to child obesity. (LIFE): USA Today Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009.

KFF, Kaiser Family Foundation Releases New Report on Role of Media in Childhood Obesity, online article accessed Dec. 4, 2009 at: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia022404nr.cfm

Nakaya, A. C. (2006). Preface to What Causes Obesity: Opposing Viewpoints- Obesity. San Diego: Greenhaven Press

UMHS, Obesity and Overweight, Online article accessed Dec 4, 2009 at: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/obesityc.htm

Wexler, B. (2009). Preventing Overweight and Obesity: Weight in America; Obesity, Eating Disorders, and Other Health Risks. Detroit: Cengage/Gale