Overweight and Obesity of Children in the Digital Age
Overweight, Obesity and Children
The problem of being overweight at an early age, if unchecked for various reasons, might lead to a more acute crisis of childhood obesity, which has become one of the most severe public health concerns of the 21st century. Some of the global statistics, related to overweight and obesity among children, is in reality disconcerting and, to say the least, shocking. According to World Health Organization, in 2019, an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese. Despite the popular notion, it is striking to note that the problem of overweight and obesity is not restricted only to developed world now. But the problem is more severe in the developing and poor world, especially affecting children living in the urban areas. World Health Organization notes that almost half of the children under 5, who were overweight or obese in 2019, lived in Asia. The problem of overweight is also ubiquitous among the children and adolescents aged 5 and 19. A 2016 statistics seemed to suggest that a whipping 340 million children and adolescents aged 5 and 19 were overweight and suffering from obesity. There has been a spectacular rise from just 4% in 1975 to 18% in 2016 in the overweight and obesity among children (For more details Click Here). It, indeed, is a great concern that the rate of increase in obesity in children is higher than that in adults in many countries. The Indian context also reveals the prevalence of obesity among children aged 5 and 19. It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 17 million obese children in India (For more details Click Here). The number would be much higher if one takes into consideration overweight children in India. Therefore, it could be noted that soon we will have a world with a large number of people being overweight and obese, which might lead to a larger public health crisis. Simply put, our children in the coming epoch will become much more vulnerable to diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease etc.
Children as ‘Prospective Customer’ and Role of Media/Advertisements
It is true that the recent changes in the dietary practices (The term ‘recent’ is used in a relative sense. In the context of the developing nations like India, the change in food habits, particularly of the children, has probably kicked off with the beginning of Globalization in 1990s) with increased intake of energy-dense foods, usually high in fat and sugars, contribute to the cause of obesity. De-regulation and opening up of the market, unyielding persuasion of the neo-liberal economic model targeting the urban middle class Indian children (Indian in general) as the ‘prospective customer’ for various multinational junk food items and as a consequence the influence of a distorted Western lifestyle are some of the reasons that are directly related to overweight and obesity of children. It is no wonder that 6 years old little Ravi has developed the habits of drinking cold drinks and eating burger at a regular interval and he feels happy about it. Children are being viewed now as ‘customers’. The market for children products is growing every day. A recent study reveals that an average American child watches an estimated 25,000 to 40,000 television commercial advertisements per year (For more details Click Here). No wonder that the consumption pattern of children is shaped, to a large extent, by the multinational companies and their commercial advertisements. These companies intend to make children as their ‘prospective customer’. As a consequence, lot of junk foods including chocolate, ice-cream (typically food with high calories and high sugar) etc. find a place in the dietary practice of the kids. These foods typically contain high fat and sugar, entailing overweight and obesity among children. Taking thread of this, one empirical study seems to suggest that the children who are exposed to advertisements of unhealthy snacks ended up consuming more calories and junk food (For more details Click Here).
But how do the multinational companies appeal to the psyche of children? How do they make children ‘customer’? To understand this, we need to unearth the role of media in society. Food preferences for any individual develop usually at an early age (by the age 2 to 4) partly by exposure to the outside world and partly by experiencing different foods. Researchers have found that social media, various TV programmes, typically meant to entertain children and frequent food advertisements in between these programmes, influence children and their food habits. It is not surprising that different food products tend to advertise aggressively on television networks that children watch most. Unfortunately most of these advertised foods are of low nutritional value. These advertised food products, which target the children as prospective ‘customer’, far from focusing on nutritional values, tend to appeal to children with the taste of the food. Food is here connected with having fun, giving happiness etc. to the children. Thus, for instance, it is no wonder that chocolate advertisement echoes the theme of happiness. There is something unlimited ‘cool’ in consuming cold drinks along with pizza. Kids feel an enticing craving for these foods and slowly develop an aversion towards home-cooked foods. With the watching of television programmes, children learn almost with an instinct that consumption of calorie-dense foods (which are usually high in fat and sugar) are extremely rewarding (For a detailed study Click Here). With increased intake of calories the kids are likely to become overweight. The role of media and advertisement in shaping the culture, dietary pattern of the kids is universally recognized. In the Indian context, one study, conducted on school children, is suggestive of the fact that eating out, eating Western fast foods both outside and at home, irregular eating schedules contribute to overweight among children (See, for instance, Bhattacharjee P, Mukhopadhyay S, Joshi P, Singh S. “Food habits and obesity: a study in adolescents”. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2017; 4: 336-40).
Watching TV/Mobile While Eating
It is a fairly common sight in many households that people watch TV programmes while eating food. In many cases, children imitate the elders at home and develop the practice of watching TV/Mobile while eating. Parents find it convenient to feed their kids while they are busy watching TV/Mobile. It is a distracting tactics for the parents. Children also find it rewarding. In fact, medical researchers have shown that if a child is distracted while eating, the brain gets distracted as well and sends out wrong signals. The whole process contributes to overeating and consequently overweight. In fact, it is one of the reasons that children tend to eat more while watching TV or playing with a Mobile, as they pay more attention to the screen rather than to the food. Taking thread of this logic, different studies have found generous empirical evidence to suggest that watching television during mealtime leads to overeating and sometimes obesity (For instance, Click Here). Another study from the European context seems to suggest that “the odds of being overweight was lower for children who reported to never watch TV at lunch and dinner compared to those who did” (For more details Click Here). Thus, the practice of watching TV or playing with Mobile or Tab while eating must also be discarded at any cost.
Concluding Remarks
In today’s context, the issue of overweight and obesity pose serious threat, which, if taken lightly, could cause a larger public health crisis in the coming decades across the globe. Kids develop a craving for the junk foods, with rich calories, primarily by consuming wholeheartedly the commercial advertisements, promoted by the multi-national companies. One could even argue that in the neo-liberal age, the children have become mere ‘customers’ for multi-national corporations. It is no miracle that with ever increasing consumption of all these food items (packed with high calories) kids in today’s world are growing obese. Increased screen time also plays a crucial role in the issue of overweight and obesity. Perhaps, no one could deny the fact that the direct consequence of increased screen time on the physical health of children is tellingly illustrated in the widespread occurrence of children being overweight across the globe in the digital age.
