Researchers Link Obesity Rates to Time Spent Watching Fast-Food Ads

Economists with the National Bureau of Economic Research have published a study that examines data compiled between 1979 and 1997 to
“estimate the effects of TV fast-food restaurant advertising on children and adolescents with respect to being overweight.” Shin-Yi Chou, et al., “FastFood Restaurant Advertising on Television and Its Influence on Childhood Obesity.” The Journal of Law and Economics, November 2008. They conclude that a ban on these advertisements “would reduce the number of overweight children ages 3-11 in a fixed population by 18 percent and would reduce the number of overweight adolescents ages 12-18 by 14 percent.”

The researchers used a statistical model to analyze data on some 13, 000 children to link obesity rates to the amount of time children spent watching fast-food advertising on television. In recent years, a number of fast-food chains and food manufacturers have joined the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, pledging to use one-half of their youth advertising dollars to promote healthier dietary choices or more active lifestyles. It is unknown whether these efforts would change the correlations observed. See Advertising Age, November 19, 2008; injuryboard.com, November 20, 2008.