It’s no secret that kids trust celebrities. But can an endorsement from a celebrity spur your child into making unhealthy food decisions?
The answer is yes.
Children viewing a commercial featuring a famous soccer player ate considerably more potato chips than kids who had seen ads for toys and nuts, according to research published in The Journal of Pediatrics. Past research has shown kids are more likely to pick foods endorsed by celebrities, even when it’s fruit.
Researchers also found that children will eat more of an endorsed snack food when they saw the celebrity on TV in a context other than a commercial.
This is worrisome, since most foods advertised on TV are unhealthy and could affect a child’s future weight and health.
“Parents need to be aware that exposure to any food marketing for high fat, sugar and, or salt foods may have a detrimental impact upon their child’s food choice, intake, overall diet quality and therefore health,” explains Dr. Emma Boyland, lecturer in Appetite and Obesity at the University of Liverpool, who led the study.
All ages vulnerable
While the study was done on children ages 8 to 11, children at any age are vulnerable to food-marketing effects.
Research suggests that TV commercials have an influence over the food choices of even very young children. Major food-brand logos are thought to be recognized by children before they can even speak.
“It is not until children are around the age of 12 that they are likely to start understanding the persuasive intent of food-promotion activities (i.e. that somebody is trying to sell them something),” says Boyland. “For some, this understanding will not be fully developed until much later.”
What can a parent do?
It is clear that more study needs to be done to explore this phenomenon with other celebrity endorsers, products, and marketing elements such as brand characters, but there are some steps parents can take.
• Be aware of the extent and nature of your child’s exposure to marketing messages.
• Reduce the amount of television your child watches.
• Critically discuss the promotion of foods with children in an age-appropriate way.
• Help them understand both the persuasive intent of commercials and the importance of making better choices.
“In the context of an obesity epidemic, the food promotion environment is one factor we should seek to effectively control to safeguard the next generation’s health,” Boyland adds.
Christine Palumbo is a Naperville-registered dietitian nutritionist who is a new Fellow of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Follow her on Twitter @PalumboRD, Facebook at Christine Palumbo Nutrition, or [email protected].
Waffle-iron grilled cheese
If you don’t own a panini press, an old-fashioned waffle iron makes a tasty grilled sandwich that holds up in a lunch box. If you don’t have either, cook this on the stove top as you would an ordinary grilled cheese.
Makes one sandwich
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
2 slices whole-wheat or rye bread
3 thin slices tart apple such as Granny Smith
Oil for the waffle iron
DIRECTIONS: Preheat the waffle iron. While it heats, assemble the sandwich. Sprinkle half of the cheese over one bread slice. Lay the apple slices over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and remaining bread slice. Brush the waffle iron with oil. Put the sandwich in the waffle iron and close tightly. Cook until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted, two to three minutes. Remove from the waffle iron and let cool for five minutes. Cut in half and wrap well or store in a container.
NUTRITION FACTS: 410 calories, 43 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 21 g protein, 18 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 350 milligrams sodium, 45% DV calcium, 15% DV iron.
Source: Katie Sullivan Morford, “Best Lunch Box Ever: Ideas and Recipes for School Lunches Kids Will Love,” Chronicle Books (2013)
