Report links time online with junk food demands
YOUNG children who spent more than 30 minutes a day online were almost twice as likely to pester their parents for junk food, a new report has found.
The study, which examines the associations between diet and advertising of junk food on TV and the internet, questioned children and their parents in Wales and across the UK.
Teams from Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Policy Research Centre and the University of Liverpool asked almost 2,500 seven to 11-year-olds and their parents around the UK about their eating habits and how much screen time they had, outside of doing homework.
The results show that primary school children who spent more than three hours on the web were more than four times more likely to spend their pocket money on chocolate, crisps, sugary drinks and takeaways than their peers who browsed for less than half an hour.
These children were also 79% more likely to be overweight or obese while those who were online between 30 minutes and three hours a day were 53% more likely to be carrying excess weight than those who were online for less.
In Wales, 27%of children aged four to five are overweight or obese. Children who are carrying too much weight are five times more likely to remain obese into adulthood.
In Wales, 59% of adults are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese as an adult increases the risk of 13 different types of cancer.
Obesity is the biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking. Cancer Research UK is calling on the UK Government to take action on junk food advertising to children, on TV (live and ondemand) and the internet, as well as price promotions on “unhealthy foods” in supermarkets.
The Welsh Government is currently developing its obesity strategy.
Andy Glyde, Cancer Research UK’s public affairs manager in Wales, said: “This report suggests that time spent online, where advertising can be prolific, and watching commercial TV, increases the likelihood that children will pester for, buy and eat more unhealthy foods. If they didn’t then the food industry wouldn’t spend so much on advertising.
“With more than a quarter of children overweight or obese, it’s vital we see effective measures to tackle the problem such as tighter regulations for online ads, as well as a 9pm watershed on TV junk food adverts.
“We also hope the Welsh Government will do more to protect future generations as part of its forthcoming obesity strategy. Restrictions on bargain buys for food and drink that are high in fat and sugar would be an effective way of helping families in Wales shop more healthily.”
The study found that, on average, children were online for 16 hours a week – not including time spent for homework – and watched 22 hours of television per week.
The amount of exercise done by the children had no impact on the results, showing that for this research, excess weight wasn’t linked with being sedentary.
Each additional hour of commercial TV that children watched was linked with an increased likelihood of pestering their parents to buy products they’d seen advertised.
They were four times more likely to buy chocolate and over three times more likely to buy sugary drinks if they watched more than three hours of commercial TV everyday compared to youngsters who didn’t watch as much and 59% more likely to be obese or overweight.
Dr Emma Boyland, a lead researcher from the University of Liverpool, said: “Young children who spend more time on the Internet and watching commercial TV are more likely to pester for, buy and eat unhealthy food and drinks.
“Parents are all too familiar with being nagged for sweets and fizzy drinks in the supermarket or corner shop. Our research shows this behaviour can be linked to the amount of time children spend in front of a screen and as a result, the number of enticing adverts they see for these sorts of products.”
Cancer Research UK is running an awareness campaign in Wales to highlight the link between obesity and cancer. As well as radio advertising, huge posters have been on display at prominent sites across the region, including bus stops and billboards.
The campaign highlights the gaps in people’s knowledge where, like a word game, missing letters in the word ‘obesity’ challenge the public to guess what is the biggest preventable cause of cancer is after smoking.