Athletes in junk food ads send kids mixed messages
Promotion
of nutrient-poor food by athletes 'ironic'
Professional athletes are
promoting unhealthy food and drinks through product endorsements that send
mixed messages to children about diet and health that should be reconsidered,
public health experts argue.
In Monday's issue of the
journal Pediatrics, researchers evaluated the nutritional quality of products
endorsed by celebrities including:
·
McDonald's and Sprite by LeBron James from the NBA.
·
Gatorade and Pepsi-Cola by Peyton Manning from the NFL.
·
Kraft Oreo cookies and Gatorade by tennis player Serena
Williams.
·
Gatorade and Tim Hortons by NHL player Sidney Crosby.
Marie Bragg of the Rudd
Center for Food Policy and Obesity in New Haven, Conn., and her co-authors
found 79 per cent of the 62 food products in advertisements endorsed by
athletes were dense in calories and poor in nutrients, based on a nutrient
profile used to assess whether products can be advertised to children in the
United Kingdom.
About 93 per cent of the 46
advertised beverages had 100 per cent of their calories from added sugar.
"The promotion of
energy-dense, nutrient-poor products by some of the world's most physically fit
and well-known athletes is an ironic combination that sends mixed messages
about diet and health," the study's authors said.
"Professional athletes
have an important opportunity to promote the public's health, particularly for
youth, by refusing endorsement contracts," that promote junk foods.
The authors also called on
governments worldwide to consider policies that restrict food advertisements
featuring pro athletes in media targeted at youth.
A previous study suggested
athlete endorsements are associated with higher ratings of healthfulness for
the products.
Bragg's team said that with
growing public pressure, such as criticism of the sponsorship of the 2012
London Olympics by McDonald's and Coca-Cola, it may be become a liability for
athletes to endorse unhealthy foods and beverages.
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff is a
family doctor and obesity expert who agrees with the researchers about
rejecting endorsements of junk food by sports celebrities.
"My hope is this is a
bit of an eye opener for the celebrities," Freedhoff said. "Over
time, it will be seen as an awful thing for a celebrity to lend their name to
the marketing of junk food."
The researchers were only
able to examine 28 of the 109 ads in total across TV, radio and the internet
that were listed in an advertisement database.
The study was funded by the
Rudd Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
With files from CBC's Kim Brunhuber
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/athletes-in-junk-food-ads-send-kids-mixed-messages-1.1913330
- Please think about how athletes use their
images and reputations to advertise many products and consider the following
questions.
- 1. Should athletes use their images and
reputations to endorse (give their name to) products?
- 2. Should athletes only endorse products
that they use also?
- 3. Do you think people buy things because
of athlete or famous people endorsements?
- 4. What are some famous athletes or famous
people that you know of who have endorsed products by being in a commercial?
No comments:
Post a Comment