Essay on television viewing and fast foods

Fast or junk food has been identified as the major cause of obesity in many countries of the world. However, it is evident that most teenagers who are addicted to watching television are the worst victims. Research indicates that, most television adverts on fast food are taken seriously by teenagers because of the beautiful and convincing people who present them. Television watching and children are a good combination that results to poor diets in many countries. The adverts mostly target the teenagers and they make them to end up with poor dietary decisions. A study in the United States in 2009 confirmed that unless things change, children are spending so much time watching television, a clear indication that in future, most of them will be suffering from eating poor diets. This causal essay will focus on how television adverts has continued to convince people to feed on fast foods. Although televisions are a good source of entertainment, some of their adverts can convince people to make wrong dietary decisions.
In a study that was conducted, it was revealed that most high school students who spent more than half of their day watching television rarely consumed well-balanced foods such as fruits, foods rich in calcium, and vegetables among others. This same group of learners was accused of feeding a lot on fast food namely snacks and sugary foods. Most of these fast foods were now and then being advertised on television (Ronesheck 555). However, what is worrying is that, despite the fact that most teenagers are aware that junk food is not healthy; they opt to push the reality at the back of their minds because the stars who normally advertise are not only healthy but also attractive. They then think that, because the star appears good looking, they are also going to follow suit. In the view of the above, it is evident that television is one cause of widespread consumption of fast foods.

In the United States, problems related to health and obesity is on the rise. In 1960s, it is estimated that only 5% of children between the ages of 12-19 years were suffering from excess weight. Four decades later, studies indicate an overwhelming 17% of teenagers are suffering from obesity. It has also been confirmed that most teenagers spend over 18 hours of their time watching television every week. Previous studies have confirmed that this may be the main cause for increased obesity cases. The time spent ensures no energy spent and the number of adverts can easily influence them to consume junk food. Sweet foods, high-calorie food, fast foods, and high fat foods are frequently advertised in the middle of famous programs in order to target people of diverse age groups, mostly teenagers. The exposure to food and drinks adverts may influence unhealthy views about nutrition and food. In a nutshell, television watching is the main cause of widespread eating of fast foods.
The close connection between sedentary lifestyle and television watching and food eating habits has been widely debated in teenagers and children. For instance, Planet Health conducted two studies for one and half years in regard to minimizing obesity for students in middle school. The study confirmed that each hour that was added to watch television led to a reduction of vegetables and fruits served every week (Rodriguez & Evenson 460). Surprisingly, there was an increased serving of sugary drinks, fast foods, snacks, and fried potatoes among other types of junk food. For the simple fact that adolescent is a very crucial stage in life of a person, the likely hood of continuing with this habit even when an adult is very high.

In most cases, adverts on television rarely cover healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. When a teenager is exposed to calorie foods for a long period, the influence of taking them can be very high. Studies show that those adolescents who spend a lot of time on television are likely to carry the same habit even after becoming adults. However, it is not clear whether the impact that television has on eating habits is the same as that of watching videos. Research has confirmed that most teenagers spend less time watching video.
If the above discussion is anything to go by, it is evident that television watching among teenagers predicts dietary decisions in future. In the same breadth, due to less energy spent while watching television, most teenagers end up being overweight and obese. In most cases, television advertisements targets teenagers who easily fall victims on seeing the stars usually used in the adverts. Surprisingly, if an adolescent is fond of watching television for long hours, the same habit is seen even after becoming an adult. There is need for intervention to minimize the amount of time spent watching television. Experts in health should strive to promote ways that can help individuals to make healthy choices of food (Milne 113).

Works cited:

Milne, G. Television Watching and Obesity. Volume 36, issue 2, 2009, Pages: 112-118
Rodriguez, D., Evenson, K. R. A systematic review of fast food access studies.
Volume 12, Issue 4, April 2011 456-550
Ronesheck, R. Fast food consumption and increased caloric intake: a systematic review of a
trajectory towards weight gain and obesity risk. Volume 9, Issue 6, November 2008,
Pages: 535-547