Annotation

Harris, Jennifer L., John A. Bargh, and Kelly D. Brownell. "Priming Effects of Television Food Advertising on Eating Behavior." Health Psychology 28.4 (2009): 404-13. Print.

This article details the results of two experiments performed on a group of children and a group of adults. Each group was shown ads detailing certain types of food and afterwards, their eating habits were monitored. With both the group of adults and the group of children, they were prompted to eat no matter what type of food was advertised for them, when given a general snack food. But when they were allowed to chose their food, the more sugary and fatty the commercial seemed to be, the more sugar and fat the snacks chosen had. There seems to be a pretty strong influence from food advertising on how people choose to eat (such as what and how often they eat).

The source seems reputable. It was published in journal regulated by the APA, so unless it was an April Fools edition, there has to be some merit to the study. It also means that the APA probably monitored or approved or were somehow involved with the study in its early stages. It may be a little bias, though. They had the participants watch tv either with food, or had them watch the advertisements and then offered them food to choose from. But they didn't leave it up to the participants whether or not they wanted food at all without food in front of them. It's entirely possible that the advertisement had nothing to do with it and it was the food itself that appeared in between the experiment and the recorded result that influenced the participants.

This resource is one of the 3 main points I want to hit with how television influences people. If advertising influences unhealthy eating habits, which leads to obesity, which leads to all kinds of health problems and disability and a general decline in wellness, then food advertising has a direct link to the decline. If we start with this at a young age, these children whose parents allow television to babysit them never have a chance at a healthy life if this is what they're taught is "cool" or "good".