Who really is making our children obese?
By: Brandon, Josie, Ben, and Marie
Children ages eight to eighteen spend more time in front of the computer, TV, and game screens than anything else besides sleeping as found in the article Media Use and Obesity Among Children. Our young community is rapidly getting obese and we wonder who is responsible. Children watching TV are constantly bombarded by advertisements wanting them to buy junk foods. These are made attractive by their favorite TV and movie characters. However food industry advertisements are not the only thing making children obese. Their parents are the ones responsible for what they eat. Parents are the ones mainly responsible for their children’s eating habits. A parent’s job is to be educated on healthy living styles and to teach their children to do the same. If parents practice healthy eating styles they will teach by example for their children. Advertisements are very influential to what children want to eat, but parents have the last decision on how to keep their children eating healthy.
Sources:
Burros, Marian. "Report Links TV Ads and Childhood Obesity." New York Times.com. December 6, 2005. The New York Times. May 23, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/06/business/media/06cnd-kids.html?ex=1291525200&en=c81a1eea871613b1&ei=5090.
Costello, Todd. O'Neill, Jimmy. "Blame for Childhood Obesity: Parents or advertising?" "Overweight Children can start to thank mom,dad." Cardinal Points April(2007) May 24, 2007 http://media.www.cardinalpointsonline.com/media/storage/paper1064/news/2007/04/20/Opinion/Blame.For.Childhood.Obesity.Parents.Or.Advertising-2869170.shtml
220 Amherst Avenue
Sheboygqan Falls, WI 53073
The Sheboygan Press
632 Center Ave.
P.O. Box 358
Sheboygan, WI 53081
Editor:
Parents, you all know what it feels like to go to the grocery store with your kids and get suckered into buying unhealthy foods just because their favorite cartoon character is on the box.
Kids are getting influenced more and more by the media because it is everywhere. There are tons of commercials on all your kids’ favorite TV programs about foods. The food industry also uses things that are very attractive towards children such as cartoon or movie characters. Most of these foods are very unhealthy but the children don’t know or care about this.
It is up to you parents, to buy healthy foods for your kids. Media is continually become a bigger part in children’s obesity because of all the children based advertisements. Parents should realize that they have responsibility over what their kids eat and they should step up and take that responsibility seriously. Parents are the one of the biggest preventatives from obesity in their children. They need to take care in finding healthy foods and teaching their kids about how the media is not always the healthy option.
Brandon, Josie, Ben, Marie
7th hour
Comments (1)
ms hogue said
at 2:43 pm on May 29, 2007
Hi Brandon, Ben, Marie and Josie. I have a couple of editing suggestions for you. First, with your addresses for your letter, take those headings off. Second, you may want to plop in a table and put your letter in that. Next, and this is more about revision, you don't back up what you say in your letter. It's a little light on persuasion. Put yourself in the recipient's shoes. Will you be persuaded? What can you add that will really make your case.
Ms Hogue
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