Do Fast Food Ads Make Kids Fat?

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Are television fast food advertisements encouraging childhood obesity? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says yes.

The influential group -- which is made up of 65,000 doctors -- is calling for a legal ban on fast food advertising during children's television program. "Congress and the Federal Trade Commission have to get tough with the food industry," Dr. Victor Strasburger of the AAP told Reuters Health. "Just by banning ads for fast food, one study says we could decrease obesity and overweight by 17 percent."

According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children are overweight or obese -- a rate that has tripled over the last 30 years. And once children become overweight, they are at higher risk for any number of cardiovascular diseases. Many experts say that television plays a major roll in this trend, both for encouraging children to be sedentary for hours a week as well as the unhealthy advertising targeted towards kids as they become couch potatoes.

The fast food industry is a major spender when it comes to advertising -- spending $4.2 billion in 2009 alone. Studies have found that kids who watch these food ads inevitably make poor eating choices.

A recent study showed that children who spent at least 30 minutes a day in front of a screen were more likely to develop any number of health issues. "We see increased behavior problems, we see increased learning problems, and excess weight and obesity," Michelle Garrison, a researcher at Seattle Children's Research Institute, told Reuters Health.

Do you think that banning fast food ads from children's teleivison programming is a good way to target the childhood obesity epidemic? Will AAP's call for legislative change make a difference? Or are there other, more important things, that we should be targeting when it comes to American children's health?

We asked our readers and here's what some of them had to say:

Mary T.
It sounds good but I doubt if it would really have too much impact. Can't hurt.

Julia M.
The kids aren't going to McDonald's and buying the food themselves. Let the government worry about getting our economy back on track and leave the parenting up to ... I don't know, parents maybe?

Cindy F.
Fast food should be banned for every human out there -- and school food should too!

Sabrina R.
I don't think it would make a difference. It's up to the parents to decide if they want to buy the fast food products. Parents should be the role models.

Sherry M.
I think this is a form of censorship, and to be honest, I can think of "better" things to censor. I think too much negative energy, too much time and too much money is spent trying to tell folks what NOT to do. Why don't we put those resources into making eating broccoli as attractive and exciting as a Happy Meal?

Christie M.
Parents need to take responsibility for preventing obesity by being good role models. Cooking healthy food and getting children away the TV and video games are key. Encourage physical activity by participating with them. It's not rocket science!

Susan C.
I agree. Television is a very easy way to get the attention of (and brainwash) kids and adults. But also there are others important issues to work for.

Aimee R.
Yes, this would make a difference for the future of our children's health ... as would cutting back on the amount of time they spend in front of the TV!