Dec

9

Topic: Childhood Obesity News - Ban on Fast-Food Ads Would Cut Childhood Obesity 18% - Seeking Alpha

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A US ban on fast-food advertisements during children’s programming would reduce the number of overweight children (age 3-11) in America by 18%, and would lower the number of overweight adolescents (age 12-18) by 14%, according to a largest-of-its-kind study conducted for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and carried out by university economists, measured the number of weekly hours of fast-food advertising messages on American TV viewed by children and found a definitive link between these TV ads and the incidence of childhood obesity. The study also found that the elimination of tax deductibility tied to advertising would similarly produce declines in childhood obesity, albeit at a smaller rate of five to seven percent. The authors deduce that, since the corporate income tax rate is 35%, the elimination of the tax deductibility of food advertising costs would be equivalent to increasing the price of advertising by 54%. Though such a ban on fast-food ads would be effective, the authors question whether such a high degree of government involvement - and the costs of implementing such policies - is a practical option. According to the study, research indicates that there is an 80% chance an overweight adolescent will be an obese adult and that more than 300,000 deaths can be attributed to obesity and weight in the United States every year. Read Childhood Obesity

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