In the article ‘Does Fast Food Marketing make Kids Fat?’ by Baylen J Linneken (2012), Dr Bruce,
a professor of Psychology at the University of Missouri, a change in government policy regarding the advertising of food to children.
In her research she that the area of the brain associated with hunger and pleasurable feelings lights up more in overweight children when they are exposed to food company logos compared to other children.
This difference in brain activity does not occur with other non-food logos. Experts that food advertising has contributed significantly to the recent increase in child obesity, since most foods advertised to children are not particularly nutritious.
Ultimately, Professor Bruce’s concern is that children need to make healthier food choices and she the moral implications of advertising junk food to young people.
Linneken, however, that any change in government policy in this area would not be constitutional.
He also the idea that the research thus far is particularly surprising or worrying.
He a 2010 study by Dr Bruce that appears to make this current research less convincing.
Her research team that overweight children show acute sensitivity towards images of food in general, so it appears that logos are not solely responsible.
Linneken that children generally eat what they are given; therefore it is eating habits at home that need to change and not necessarily government policy.
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