Eating behavior in children's programming: a potential contributor to childhood obesity (2012)

Undergraduate: Elise Stephenson

Faculty Advisor: James Ferguson
Department: International & Area Studies

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There is a myriad of research correlating advertising with childhood obesity, but a dearth of studies analyzing the food content of the actual programs themselves. Given previous research on child vulnerability, there is strong reason to believe that the content of children's programs--that is the food discussed and consumed by on-screen characters--may be contributing to the correlation between screen-time and childhood obesity. After coding the food content of 64 episodes (sixteen hours) of children's programming on PBS, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel, I found that all networks were significantly different from two respected sources for dietary recommendations. More specifically, 35-53% of the food presented fell into the category of solid fats and added sugars, compared to a recommendation of less than 4-10% by the American Academy of Pediatrics and United States Department of Agriculture. Further analysis showed significantly low amounts of dairy, fruits, and vegetables on these networks. This evidence suggests that the content of children's programs may be contributing to childhood obesity, thereby presenting a new area for regulation and reform.