In today’s social and cultural environment, children and teens are exposed to a wide variety of media on a daily basis. With the popularity of and easy access to television, computers, video games and other media, American youths have become more sedentary. For instance, it’s estimated that youth ages 8 to 18 spend an average of three hours per day watching TV.

Not only are they sedentary and more likely to snack while doing so, but they’re also bombarded with ads and other messages promoting unhealthy foods and beverages. Adopting school-based curricula to increase media literacy and reduce screen time, encouraging parents to limit children’s TV “allowance,” and shifting industry practices to put more muscle into promoting healthy foods and beverages could play a critical role in reducing the epidemic.

 
Issue Briefs & Highlights

Tools & Toolkits

Research Briefs & Highlights
Reports
Web Sites
 
 
Issue Briefs & Highlights:

Comments to the Federal Trade Commission from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity

The RWJF Center provided recommendations to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in response to a request for comments on food and beverage marketing. The recommendations are intended to help the FTC as it prepares to gather data from food and beverage companies. This information will be used to update their 2008 report, “Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation.”
http://www.reversechildhoodobesity.org/webfm_send/98

The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity
This Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief reviews more than 40 studies on the role of media in the nation’s dramatically increasing rates of childhood obesity and explores what researchers do and do not know about the role media plays in childhood obesity. It also outlines media-related policy options that have been proposed to help address childhood obesity and identifies ways media could play a positive role in helping to address this important public health problem.
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/The-Role-Of-Media-in-Childhood-Obesity.pdf
 

Tools & Toolkits

Revenue Calculator for Soft Drink Taxes
The Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has developed a revenue calculator for soft drink taxes which estimates potential federal, state, or city revenues by allowing the user to choose the tax per ounce and the approach to taxing soft drinks. To learn more about the new calculator, visit: http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/sodatax.aspx.

The Leadership for Healthy Communities Action Strategies Toolkit
This toolkit outlines numerous policy strategies designed to reduce childhood obesity and create healthier communities. Eleven of the nation's most prominent policy-maker organizations were instrumental in creating this toolkit, and in the preface of this comprehensive resource, the organizations expressed their committment to work collaboratively across levels of government to build healthier communities. Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was created to support local and state leaders nationwide in their efforts to promote healthy, active communities and access to affordable healthy foods.

http://www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org/actionstrategies

Research Briefs & Highlights
Taking Action Against Childhood Obesity in Communities of Color: Executive Summary

This report issued by MEE (Motivational Educational Entertainment) Productiosn, Inc. summarizes the key findings of its 18-month study on how to get low-income African American communities to focus on changing the environmental and policy issues that decrease motivation and opportunities for increased physical activity and better nutrition.

http://www.reversechildhoodobesity.org/webfm_send/38

Food and Beverage Marketing to Children and Adolescents: What Changes are needed to Promote Healthy Eating Habits
Although many social, cultural and environmental factors influence children’s and adolescents' risk for obesity, marketing may have an especially powerful impact on what foods and beverages they consume. Promotions for food and beverage products permeate the daily lives of children and adolescents, and the majority of products advertised to them are high in calories, sugar, sodium and fat. This brief by Healthy Eating Research collects recent research regarding food marketing to children and adolescents.
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/20081103herfoodmarketing.pdf
 
Adolescent Exposure to Food Advertising on Television: Research Highlight
In a series of studies funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dr. Lisa Powell and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago used television program ratings to examine food advertising exposure and the nutritional content of the foods advertised on programs viewed by adolescents ages 12-17. This research highlight presents the findings of Dr. Powell's studies.
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/Research%20Highlight%2034%5B7%5D.pdf
 
Reports:

Cereal F.A.C.T.S. Evaluating the Quality and Marketing of Children's Cereals

This report by The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University details how sugary cereals are agressively marketed to and target children.This evaluation of cereal marketing shows pervasive targeting of children across all media platforms and in stores.
http://www.cerealfacts.org/media/Cereal_FACTS_Report.pdf

Shaping a Healthier Generation: Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released this report that examines what states are currently doing to prevent obesity and encourage children to eat healthier and be more active in various settings including early childhood care and education, communities and health care settings. A justification of these settings is included as well as short chapters examining current state efforts in each.

www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0909HEALTHIERGENERATION.PDF

Taking Action Against Childhood Obesity in Communities of Color: Executive Summary
This report issued by MEE (Motivational Educational Entertainment) Productiosn, Inc. summarizes the key findings of its 18-month study on how to get low-income African American communities to focus on changing the environmental and policy issues that decrease motivation
and opportunities for increased physical activity and better nutrition. http://www.reversechildhoodobesity.org/webfm_send/38

Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?
This IOM report provides the most comprehensive review to date of the scientific evidence on the influence of food marketing on diets and diet-related health of children and youth. It was requested by Congress and sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
http://iom.edu/CMS/3788/21939/31330.aspx
 
The Future of Children's Media: Advertising
On July 20, 2006, Children Now hosted "The Future of Children's Media: Advertising," a conference that brought together the nation's leading children's media executives, policy-makers, academics and advocates. The conference explored how new advertising and marketing methods are being used to reach children. It also examined what's on the horizon and possible steps to better ensure children's well-being in a rapidly evolving media environment. Immediately after the conference, Children Now charted its research and policy goals, which include strategies to work together with the media, advertising, food and other industries to achieve voluntary change
http://www.childrennow.org/issues/media/advertising_conference.html

Web Sites:

Pouring on the Pounds

A follow-up video about the damage sugar-sweetened beverages can have on the body from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cdp/cdp_pan.shtml

We Can! or "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition"
We Can! is a national program designed for families and communities to help children maintain a healthy weight. The program focuses on three important behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time. We Can! provides families and communities with resources to help prevent childhood overweight.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/
 
Planet Health
Planet Health is a complete curriculum that helps academic, physical education and health education teachers guide middle school students in the following areas:

• Learning about nutrition and physical activity while building skills in language arts, math, science and social studies.
• Understanding how health behaviors are interrelated.
• Choosing healthy foods, increasing physical activity and limiting TV and other screen time.

http://www.planet-health.org/