Childhood Obesity and the "Media Diet."

     "Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America – with 17 percent of children aged 2 to 19 obese," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The huge increase is more than three times the 1980 childhood obesity rate."      A report released in June by the American Academy of Pediatrics "has a new suggestion: ban companies from advertising junk food during children's television programs." The AAP has long called for "parents to put their kids on a 'media diet'"; and now the organization is "going a step further by calling on Congress to ban fast food and junk food ads" during shows directed at children. The statement also "cites several studies" establishing that "TV ads prime children to prefer and request high-fat and high-sugar foods" and that poor "snacking habits while watching TV may contribute to weight gain."
     Since that plea from the AAP and CDC, 17 US food and beverage companies including Kraft, Nestle and Coca-Cola, presented self-imposed regulations designed to adjust the products they advertise and market to children.  According to the regulations, the companies would have to choose to make there products healthier or cease advertising them to children after Dec. 31, 2013. The move comes from the response to federal calls to create advertising guidelines to combat childhood obesity.
To read the full articles click here and here
Thanks to Dr Jopling and Dr Lynch for there great articles and we hope more companies will start making there own self-imposed regulations to benefit children.

Info from**
 Los Angeles Times (7/15)
ABC News (6/28) reports,