Television

Television watching is a popular leisure-time activity in all but the most remote areas of the world. In fact, watching television is often the most time-consuming leisure activity of people of all ages and nationalities. Those living in developed countries watch an average of approximately 3 hours of television each day. In addition to its entertainment value, television is a primary source of health information. Considerable evidence exists that television is a potent influence on knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and values and its impact may be equal to that of school, religion, parents, or books. Concerns about television watching [Page 739]and the effect of programming are many and have been voiced by numerous public health authorities. These concerns focus on the content and influence of television programming on many health behaviors (e.g., violence, alcohol and tobacco use, sexual behaviors), including dietary intake and the sedentary nature of television watching. Television is thought to influence dietary intake, and subsequently body weight, by frequently promoting the consumption of calorie-dense foods and providing food and nutrition information that is misleading. Television further affects body weight via the sedentary nature of television watching itself. Available academic research suggests that watching television is associated with increased snacking and poorer quality meals; television advertising increases the number of food purchase requests children make; television advertising influences food preferences, choices, and intake; television advertising and programming affects children's knowledge of nutrition and health.

The vast majority of research evidence concerning the effects of television was conducted in the United States using television programs produced and broadcast there. However, the widespread export of U.S.–produced television programs shares their content with and extends their potential effects to viewers in other countries. Although findings related to advertisements may have less generalizability internationally because advertisements produced for a particular national market are seldom broadcast outside that market, advertising goals and strategies are similar regardless of market and the developmental stages during childhood and adolescence, the audience thought to be most vulnerable to its effects, are generally regarded to be universal.

Research related to television and body weight is divided into content analyses of television advertising and program content, effects of television advertising and programs, and time invested in television watching. Most research has focused on children's television because this population group is cognitively immature and, thus, has difficulty in both interpreting information provided via television and discerning reality from fantasy.

Television Advertisement Content

Most content analyses of television advertising focus children's television programming hours with lesser attention given to other broadcast time periods. Advertisements during children's television programming hours tend to be primarily for food during all months except December when toy advertisements predominate. The types of foods advertised rarely include fruits, vegetables, protein-rich foods, or dairy products. Foods in the breads and cereals group, particularly high-sugar breakfast cereals, are well represented. Additionally, foods high in fats and nutritive sweeteners are advertised frequently, with food sold by fast-food restaurant chains, candy, and sweetened soft drinks being most prevalent. The foods advertised during children's television programs tend to be high in fat, sodium, and sugar, and generally judged to be of low nutritional value. Explicit messages related to the healthfulness or nutritional qualities of the foods are seldom used in advertising; however, nearly half of food advertisements imply a food has healthful or nutritional qualities, likely erroneously so given the nutrient content of most advertised foods.

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