Cartoons affect our children’s diets
Obesity is everywhere, even in cartoons. It is not uncommon for our children’s favorite characters to be very overweight likeObelix or Homer Simpson. What if these little characters influenced the way our children ate?
Demonstration of an American study
The demonstration was made by an American study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology(1). Indeed, researchers at the University of Colorado in the United States have conducted research on the dietary impact of cartoons on our children and young adolescents. To do this, they asked300 children, aged 6 to 14, to watch cartoons, read comics or watch animated films. They then analyzed the contents of the plates of the children studied.
Worrying results…
The result is worrying. Indeed, it emerged that children with a preference for overweight characters would tend to favor a diet low in fiber and high in fat. They would even eattwice as much as children preferring thin heroes.
The study also showed that children defined human normsas those of fictional characters. Indeed, it seems that children would consider round or egg-shaped characters to be overweight.
It therefore emerges that television, and cartoons have a strong impact on our children. For cartoon producers, by changing their characters and their behavior, could therefore convey more important messages to our children. The approach had already been proposed to the producer of the series The Simpsons, asking him to create a scenario where Homer, (main character), would start a diet.
For some doctors, certain characters like Obelix for example, could promote cases of gluttony in the youngest spectators. The lead author of the study, Mrs. CAMPBELL Margareth, professor at the University of Colorado, considers that the results of this study are “a crucial discovery because cartoons can be a solution to improve children’s knowledge and thus help them adopt a healthier diet“.
This is not thefirst timethat television has been implicated in the eating behaviour of our children and adolescents. Indeed, advertisements on sodas or junk food had already been the subject of controversy. So, will we soon see a slender Obelix, exchanging his good boar for a green salad? To be continued…
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.