Healthy Choices for Better Living Essay - 1588 Words

Does the media truly influence and play and key role in childhood obesity? Can we hold the media responsible for our food purchases and meals that we as a society choose to provide our children? Certainly there are a multitude of influences in the media and yes, they are geared toward our children. Commercials ran during children’s programming appeal to our youth with catchy jingles, bright colors and actors promoting these products that portray popular characters on our children’s favorite shows. Why wouldn’t our children want us to purchase them? It works in the same way that advertising toys during children’s programming sway a child into wanting a particular product. Due to the influence of the media, parents feel they are appeasing†¦show more content†¦It is always easier to pass blame than to own up to it. Childhood obesity can, and has been linked to several different causes. Generally the most sought after causes are poor eating habits , more time spent eating in front of the television, time that is spent with popular media devices and a general lack of physical activity due to the above reasons. All of these causes have one common denominator. Parents and guardians are at the forefront of this equation, and are simply not willing to take the responsibility. Parental units are the beginning of the child’s nutritional and eating habit journey. In turn, they should be leading by example and providing children with the necessary tools to aide them in making healthy and nutritional decisions. An old adage explains, â€Å"When you grow up all you know about healthy food is what you were fed at home. Intuitively, we know that our mums and dads love us and will do the best for us, so surely that means we were fed healthy food,† Maher (1), (qtd. In Weighing It Up, 2009). So examples set by the parents are the core of the children and youth nutritional learning. A variety of studies have held the media responsible as having a tremendous impact on a child’s perception of what they should be eating. Research on childhood obesity has found, â€Å"Food advertising during children’s television programs has been identified as one contributingShow MoreRelatedLiving Healthy: Focusing on Exercises and Better Food Choices692 Words   |  3 Pagescomplications including but not limited to diabetes (type 2) and coronary heart disease. However, more attention should instead be focused on empowering individuals to make better food choices and embrace exercises. In this way, individuals will end up living healthier lives. Living Healthy: Focusing on Exercises and Better Food Choices According to DeBruyne, Pinna and Whitney (2011), research suggests that fast-food consumption contributes significantly to the development of obesity. 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