The study’s authors write, “Given health concerns about obesity and its relation to fast-food consumption, enhanced oversight of fast-food marketing to children at the local, state, and federal level is needed to align advertising to children with health promotion efforts and existing principles of honest and fair marketing to children,” the article notes.
Sargent and his research team examined TV ads appearing on networks such as Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. They found that nearly 70 percent of the advertisements targeted at children included free toys or other giveaways, reports HealthDay.
Read the full story, published 8/29/13 by HealthDay via Philly.com.