Eating Habits, Media Influence on

Eating Habits

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 5-to-11-year-olds account for roughly 27 million of the nation's population. American youth are becoming consumers at younger ages. Estimates show that children in this group will directly spend or influence parents to spend approximately $5.8 billion on food and beverages in 2005, which is almost 30% of the total expenditures for these items. Children's eating patterns have changed significantly over the past two decades as well. Children are now eating more often; they are more often eating away from the home; and they are consuming more fast food. Most children do not eat according to federal dietary guidelines.

Changes in the American family structure play a key role in food consumption, with more mothers joining the workforce and children and teens gaining more power in the household decision-making process. Other notable influences include peer influence, ethnicity, the overall school environment, and commercialism starting at a very early age. Children often have poor consumer decision-making skills, which can contribute to early formation of seriously unhealthy nutritional patterns. Results of a 1998 USA Weekend Roper Report show that 78% of youth influence where the family goes for fast food, 55% choose the restaurant for dinner, and 31% determine specific brands that families purchase. Parents cite two overwhelming barriers to preparing a healthy family meal: (1) different food preferences of family members and (2) children's desire to eat advertised foods. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has argued that growing health problems such as unhealthy diets and childhood obesity can be linked to the advertising of high-fat, high-sugar food products targeting children.

Media Influence

Research has shown that media influence is a strong predictor of children's food consumption, and Kristen Harrison and Amy L. Marske noted that sweets, snack foods, convenience foods, and fast foods totally dominate the ads children see. Food advertisements and children's use of television, movies, video games, and the Internet as entertainment outlets for hours each day have been blamed for poor nutrition and heavier children in today's society. The ever-expanding world of media gives marketers even more opportunities to target youth.

Children are inundated with food marketing on a daily basis, and major food retailers often target them via highly specialized advertising. In the overall American economy, U.S. food products accounted for $7.3 billion in advertising expenditures at the turn of the 21st century. as a comparative yardstick, the U.S. Department of Agriculture spends roughly $333 million per year on nutritional education, whereas the total U.S. advertising industry expenditure for confectionary and snacks alone is approximately $1 billion. By targeting youth from an early age, food companies are able to build positive, long-lasting brand relationships and create brand loyalty among children, teens, and parents.

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