December 7, 2005
A group of scientific, medical, and academic leaders have called on companies that make and sell foods and drinks to promote healthier eating among kids.
Childhood obesity rates have soared in the last few decades. More than 9 million U.S. kids and teens are obese and another 15% are at risk for becoming obese. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes - which used to be known as "adult-onset" diabetes - has more than doubled among kids in the past decade. What's more, only 1% of kids are meeting the current recommendations for intake from the food groups.
These alarming trends - and the call for the food industry to help reverse them - were collected in a report, "Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?," by the nonprofit Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science and made public earlier this week. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is charged with providing unbiased scientific research to U.S. policymakers.
The report also said that food and beverage marketing that's targeted to kids ages 12 and younger prompts them to request and consume products that are low in nutrients and high in calories, added sugars, and fats.
"The current marketing practices [of food and beverage makers] are putting the diets and dieting practices of the youth in this country at great risk," said report co-author Mary Story, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. "Unless we do something about it, we'll be raising the first generation of children who will be sicker and live shorter lives than their parents."
Based on the findings, the IOM recommended a number of steps that public and private groups can take to promote healthier eating habits among kids. They include:
- Restaurants and food and beverage makers should make and market more foods that are higher in nutrients and lower in salts, fats, calories, and added sugars.
- Restaurants and fast-food chains should provide customers with calorie and other nutrition information about their menu items.
- Schools should create nutrition standards for foods and beverages that are sold to kids on school grounds.
- Licensed characters, like SpongeBob SquarePants and Shrek, should only be used to promote healthy food.
- Government should provide incentives to food and media industries to make and promote healthier foods and beverages.
- Government should monitor and track the food industry's efforts to promote healthier eating. If the industry doesn't make sufficient efforts in 2 years, the government should propose laws that require it to do so.
In news reports, food and beverage industry officials said that the IOM's report didn't properly reflect the move the food industry has been making toward healthier products in recent years.
And Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women and Families, said in a report in the Washington Post that she questioned whether any healthy-food campaign would have a significant effect.
"I don't think that even the best social marketing on healthy foods can overcome the advertising and sale of breakfast cereals that taste like cookies," she told The Post.
What it Means to You
Figuring out how to help your child develop healthy eating habits can be awfully confusing. The good news is that you don't need a degree in nutrition to sort it all out. Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind:
Parents control the supply lines. You decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. Though your child might pester you for less-nutritious foods, you should be in charge when it comes to deciding which foods you stock in the house and buy for your kids when you're out. You decide which foods to offer, and your child can decide whether to eat and how much of it to eat. Kids need to have some say in the matter. So offer healthy options and let your child choose which one to eat and how much.
Quit the "clean-plate club." Let your child stop eating when he or she says "I'm full." It's important for kids to get into the habit of listening to their feelings of fullness.
Start them young. Food preferences are developed early in life, so offer your child a variety of foods. Keep in mind that you may need to serve a food on 10 to 15 different occasions for a child to take to it. So if you don't succeed with the carrots at first, try again!
Drink calories count. Soda and other sweetened drinks add extra calories and get in the way of good nutrition. Water and milk are the best drinks for kids. Juice is fine when it's 100% fruit juice, but kids don't need much of it - 4 to 6 ounces a day is enough for preschoolers.
Put sweets in their place. Occasional sweets are fine, but don't turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. When dessert is the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally place more value on the cupcake than the broccoli. Try to stay neutral about foods.
Set a good example. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and don't skip meals.
Limit TV and computer time. You can limit exposure to marketing that promotes unhealthy eating by limiting the amount of time your child spends watching TV and playing computer and video games. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids who are 2 years old or older should have no more than 2 hours of screen time each day.
When your child is watching TV, sit down and join in the viewing. Talk to your child about what he or she is watching, and about the messages about foods and healthy lifestyles that the advertising and the programs are sending.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin
Date Reviewed: December 2005
