Impact of Food Promotions on Children

Obesity levels have reached alarming/epidemical levels across the globe including India. This is because of unhealthy food consumption habits of children. Children, today, prefer to eat unhealthy/junk foods which are frequently advertised on television and promoted in organized retail stores using attractive food promotional strategies. Consumption of these foods in large portion sizes lead to obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension and other physical and psychological disorders in children. Therefore, mothers follow feeding practices with them in order to inculcate healthy eating habits. The study revealed that food ads are frequently shown on children¿s television networks and only one per cent advertised foods are healthy. Further, attractive themes and appeals are used in food ads to target children. This is supplemented by retail store characteristics which effects food shopping behaviour of children. Hence, children behave actively in retail stores and request for promoted unhealthy/junk foods. Hence, mothers use feeding practices to mediate and control their food consumption habits.