MEDIA- TELEVISION
A study of the content of “seventeen” magazine found that consistently over many years the largest percentage of pages was devoted to articles about appearance.
TV commercials almost exclusively show slim, healthy-looking people using whatever product is advertised (Big Macs, fries, soda, milkshakes, huge portions of steak and pasta)
Most teenagers (60 percent) spend on average 20 hours per week in front of television and computer screens, a third spend closer to 40 hours per week, and about 7 percent are exposed to more than 50 hours of 'screen-time' per week, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 48th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. I have also recognised that during this time spent in front of the box, advertising and commercials dominate the screen. It is near impossible to sit through a television show without being bombarded with food commercials, mainly the huge TNC's such as Mcdonald's, Burger King, KFC and a variety of other cereal products. Interestingly these advertisements promote food that tend to be low in nutrients and high in calories. We are almost being forced to be hungry and want these fast food products as soon as they arrive on our screen.
But has does the TV advertising affect us and does it? Are we destined to become as the models and actresses we see on T.V. and movies? Do boys see the extreme muscle mass on T.V. and be doomed to steroid use?
An experiment in 1995, carried out by Dr. Anne Becker gives us a clear representation of how influenced we are by the media in particular the T.V.
Dr. Becker assessed the impact of T.V. on the weight related attitude and behaviours of high school girls. All of the girls had normal relationships with food in the year of 1994, (normal being: eating when hungry and not denying your body of any food, and not experiencing any patterns of binging, or obsessive behaviour). The girls where then introduced to T.V as it introduced to Fiji in 1995. Dr.Becker then visited the high school girls three years later, and interviewed then. After the interviews were conducted she documented that:
- Vomiting for weight control purposes went from 0% to 11% among the girls since the introduction of television
- High scores on an assessment of eating pathology more than doubled during this period
- In the interviews girls talked about how T.V. had influenced them to feel differently about their body shape
- Girls wanted to emulate the T.V characters that their peers favoured.
- Expectations regarding an appropriate amount to eat and intergenerational tensions regarding the adoption of Western customs
Consistently studies have shown that it is clear there is a strong connection between media use which can lead to unhealthy weight attitudes and behaviours.
The percentage of overweight children and teens has tripled over the last 25 years or so.
Dieting and psychological consequences:
Fatigue
Increased interest in food
Depression
Poor school performance
Loss of zest or interest
Anxiety
Mental sluggishness
Nutritional deficiencies
Food replacement methods (drugs, cigarette smoking, alcohol)
Fear of public eating situations
Everything from the Simpsons to big brother has been blamed for the fuelling the rise in teenage obesity. Nearly two thirds of 2,000 parents quizzed said cartoon character Homer Simpson, famous for his doughnut consumption, promoted an unhealthy lifestyle, which is influencing teenagers diet choices daily.
Interestingly, the International Journal of Obesity study found the 41% who were overweight or obese by the age of 26 were those who had watched most TV.
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