Source: Xinhua
05-11-2009 11:11
Special Report: Tech MaxBEIJING, May 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Researchers said Friday children who watch two hours of television a day could be exposed to up to 2200 unhealthy advertisements for food, contributing to the surge in childhood obesity.
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| Researchers said Friday children who watch two hours of television a day could be exposed to up to 2200 unhealthy advertisements for food, contributing to the surge in childhood obesity.(File photo) |
"Internationally, children are exposed to high volumes of unhealthy food and beverage advertising on television," Bridget Kelly, a nutrition researcher at the Cancer Council NSW in Australia, and colleagues told the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam.
"Limiting this food marketing is an important preventative strategy for childhood obesity," Kelly said.
Earlier on May 5, health and consumer groups renewed calls for tougher advertising regulations. They called for a government ban on junk food advertising during peak children's viewing times to help fight obesity.
About 177 million children and teenagers under 18 years old worldwide are clinically overweight or obese. The figures include 22 million overweight children under five years old, according to the International Obesity Task Force.
Obesity raises the risk of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and the growing epidemic is piling pressure on many cash-strapped national health systems.
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Editor:Yang Jie
