Why are Kids Fat?

Growing numbers of American kids are obese or at risk of obesity.

What's the first step in dealing with the problem?

A good starting point would be to get pediatricians and other health care providers to encourage parents to be responsible and give their children healthy foods to eat and make sure they get plenty of exercise.

But rather than employing common sense and exercising personal responsibility, the FCC will conduct a study to examine the connection between TV commercials and childhood obesity.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Concerned that a steady diet of TV ads is putting too many pounds on American children, the Federal Communications Commission plans to study links between the ads, viewing habits and the rise of childhood obesity.

"Small children can't weed out the marketing messages from their favorite shows," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Wednesday at a news conference. "Especially when the marketing campaigns feature favorite TV characters like SpongeBob or Scooby-Doo."

Martin cited reports showing the average child watches 2 to 4 hours of TV per day and views about 40,000 TV ads every year, most of them for cereal, candy, toys and fast food.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said he urged the commission to form the task force, which will include FCC officials, members of the food, television and advertising industries, along with consumer advocacy groups and health experts.

"Judging by the sheer volume of media and advertising that children consume on a daily basis, and given alarming trends in childhood obesity, we're facing a public health problem that will only get worse unless we take action," Brownback said.

The task force will begin meeting early next year and issue a report with recommendations on how industry and media can work to reduce the childhood obesity rate.

Earlier this month, the Institute of Medicine found that one-third of American children are either obese or at risk for becoming obese. At the same time, American companies spend about $15 billion a year marketing and advertising to children under age 12.

Advertising has been directed at children since the 1950s. This is nothing new. Kids have been bombarded with ads hawking candy, sugar-packed breakfast cereals, and empty calorie snacks for generations, for fifty years!

Ronald McDonald first appeared on TV in 1963.

It's not the commercials that are making kids overweight. A child could be fed a steady diet of TV ads promoting junk food, but if the parent doesn't buy it, there's no impact on the child's weight.

The link between ads and childhood obesity breaks when the parent is factored into the equation.

Some children's advocacy groups have called for a ban on junk food marketing to children, but Brownback and Martin said they want to reach common ground with advertisers instead of creating new regulations.

What good would a ban on marketing junk food to kids do?

Kids under twelve don't have a lot of buying power. Most children under twelve don't determine what's for dinner. Most of them don't do the grocery shopping.

If your child is overweight, you can make sure that he or she has access to healthy snacks and eats well-balanced healthy meals.

Parents have control.

I think one of the most important causes of the obesity epidemic is a lack of physical activity. That's the difference between the lifestyle of today's kids and the lifestyle of kids of past generations.

Kids don't walk anywhere or ride their bikes or play outside for hours on end. They get chauffeured around and have scheduled play dates.

There is no question that kids are more sedentary today.

Obesity studies or bans on junk food advertising won't change that.

Kids are fat for the same reason that adults are overweight. They take in more calories than they need.

Government regulation isn't necessary to curb the childhood obesity trend.

It's the parents' responsibility to make sure their children under twelve eat healthy and stay active.

The commercials aren't the problem.

Joe Camel doesn't make kids smoke. Ronald McDonald doesn't make kids eat cheeseburgers and fries.