Jamilett's Speech
Data/Survey: Obesity
Hello my name is Jamilett, and I will be presenting the data portion of our Making a Difference presentation. Studies show that we don’t notice how bad obesity is getting around the world because it has happened gradually and we have got used to seeing people who are overweight. Have you or anyone you that you know been bullied for being overweight/obese? 71.8% of the people who took our survey said yes, that they knew at least one person who has been bullied because they were overweight. Younger children are less likely to experience physical violence, but are subjected to cruel teasing and name calling. According to CNN, overweight kids are more likely to be bullied. Have you ever got back from work or school and you were really tired? You sit down and take a break, turn on the TV, and you see a persuasive fast food commercial trying to get you to come eat there by showing salads, fresh fruits, vegetables, or any other healthy foods. No, instead you see glistening cheeseburgers, fries, fried chicken, or any other unhealthy meals. The next thing you know your brain is telling your stomach that it wants a cheeseburger. Is this mere coincidence or do food ads really hold the power to change the way you eat? “ There’s no question; marketing of food affects eating behavior. It’s not just exposure to one ad; it’s the cumulative exposure of many ads over time that produces a desire for a product.
The foods advertised the most are the foods people say they like the most and buy the most, says Jennifer Harris, Ph.D.,M.B.A. Researchers have uncovered disturbing findings linked with food marketing, according to Harris: Advertising can affect a person’s preference for categories of food, people who see more fast food commercials want to eat more fast food than those people who see fewer commercials, when people are exposed to food ads, they eat more food overall, and if people see an ad before they taste a food, they like the taste of that food more. “Advertising has psychological effect on what you think is normal. TV advertising has strong effects that are visual and emotional, with stories and music. When you’re tired and relaxed in front of the TV, you have less ability to control your impulses.” says Harris. The average kid sees 15 food commercials a day, and all it takes is one of those food commercials to make a young person desire a particular food. One question we asked on our survey was what food restaurant they thought had the most persuasive food commercials. The most picked was McDonald’s by 39.7%. In doing our research, we found a chart with the top 100 fast food options people go to the most. Number one on the chart was McDonald’s.
The McDonald brothers opened their redesigned restaurant in 1948. Now McDonald’s, which started it all, is now the world's largest fast-food chain. Total sales for McDonald’s grew 5.6 percent in 2005 and the company now has 30,000 franchised stores in more than 120 countries but, McDonald’s restaurants have also been attacked in several countries. Protesters have accused McDonald’s and other chains of selling unhealthy food, marketing aggressively to children and undermining local values and culture. Advertising also takes place in the grocery store, mostly to kids, by showing TV characters on packages and shelf displays at children’s eye level. Why not change all these TV characters on packages and shelf displays at children’s eye level on unhealthy foods and put it all on healthy foods? Lets try to end obesity rates from getting anymore higher by 2030 now even if we have to start small. Our next presenter will be Dotavia, and she will be sharing information about our interviews.
Data/Survey: Obesity
Hello my name is Jamilett, and I will be presenting the data portion of our Making a Difference presentation. Studies show that we don’t notice how bad obesity is getting around the world because it has happened gradually and we have got used to seeing people who are overweight. Have you or anyone you that you know been bullied for being overweight/obese? 71.8% of the people who took our survey said yes, that they knew at least one person who has been bullied because they were overweight. Younger children are less likely to experience physical violence, but are subjected to cruel teasing and name calling. According to CNN, overweight kids are more likely to be bullied. Have you ever got back from work or school and you were really tired? You sit down and take a break, turn on the TV, and you see a persuasive fast food commercial trying to get you to come eat there by showing salads, fresh fruits, vegetables, or any other healthy foods. No, instead you see glistening cheeseburgers, fries, fried chicken, or any other unhealthy meals. The next thing you know your brain is telling your stomach that it wants a cheeseburger. Is this mere coincidence or do food ads really hold the power to change the way you eat? “ There’s no question; marketing of food affects eating behavior. It’s not just exposure to one ad; it’s the cumulative exposure of many ads over time that produces a desire for a product.
The foods advertised the most are the foods people say they like the most and buy the most, says Jennifer Harris, Ph.D.,M.B.A. Researchers have uncovered disturbing findings linked with food marketing, according to Harris: Advertising can affect a person’s preference for categories of food, people who see more fast food commercials want to eat more fast food than those people who see fewer commercials, when people are exposed to food ads, they eat more food overall, and if people see an ad before they taste a food, they like the taste of that food more. “Advertising has psychological effect on what you think is normal. TV advertising has strong effects that are visual and emotional, with stories and music. When you’re tired and relaxed in front of the TV, you have less ability to control your impulses.” says Harris. The average kid sees 15 food commercials a day, and all it takes is one of those food commercials to make a young person desire a particular food. One question we asked on our survey was what food restaurant they thought had the most persuasive food commercials. The most picked was McDonald’s by 39.7%. In doing our research, we found a chart with the top 100 fast food options people go to the most. Number one on the chart was McDonald’s.
The McDonald brothers opened their redesigned restaurant in 1948. Now McDonald’s, which started it all, is now the world's largest fast-food chain. Total sales for McDonald’s grew 5.6 percent in 2005 and the company now has 30,000 franchised stores in more than 120 countries but, McDonald’s restaurants have also been attacked in several countries. Protesters have accused McDonald’s and other chains of selling unhealthy food, marketing aggressively to children and undermining local values and culture. Advertising also takes place in the grocery store, mostly to kids, by showing TV characters on packages and shelf displays at children’s eye level. Why not change all these TV characters on packages and shelf displays at children’s eye level on unhealthy foods and put it all on healthy foods? Lets try to end obesity rates from getting anymore higher by 2030 now even if we have to start small. Our next presenter will be Dotavia, and she will be sharing information about our interviews.