By Staff Reports
(Hawaii)– From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Researchers are concerned about kids eating what they watch. Researchers at Michigan State University examined data on online video games called “advergames,” targeting children ages 2 to 11 years, by food marketers. The researchers looked at 145 sites with 439 brands being marketed.
Lorraine Weatherspoon says sites typically promoted high-calorie and high-sodium foods. Colleague Elizabeth Taylor Quilliam says the kids might miss the subtle advertising.
“They don’t know that they’re seeing an ad; they think they’re playing a game. If they enjoy the game and the character, those positive feelings may translate to the product that is being advertised.”
The study in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
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HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.