Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example This essay "Childhood obesity affected by advertising" outlines the connection between junk food advertisement and the level of children obesity. Young children are easily hooked when a product is displayed with the endorsement of role models or cartoon characters that they literally worship. For children who are not keen about cartoons, there are advertisements that portray peers of their own age, which is something that no child can resist following. Advertisements achieve success in their mission of penetrating children’s most basic desires. On the flipside, a child who has to grow strong with lots of physical activity gets relegated to the menial position of a couch potato and in the bargain compromises his or her potential for proper development and becomes obese. Considering the case of children that fall in the age group of 6-11, 22% of Mexican American kids are found to be overweight, 20% African American kids and 14% of non-Hispanic White kids also fall under the same category. â€Å"The childhood obesity epidemic is a serious public health problem that increases morbidity, mortality, and has substantial long term economic and social costs. The rates of obesity in America’s children and youth have almost tripled in the last quarter century. Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5 (5.0% to 12.4%) and ages 6 to 11 (6.5% to 17.0%)†