Kids who are Familiar with Unhealthy Food Logos Are More Likely to Be Overweight

New research reveals that the more familiar kids are with junk food logos the more likely they are to be overweight or obese.

Led by researchers at the Michigan State University, the new study included children of ages 3-5 who were tested on their knowledge of several brands like their familiarity with the golden arches, silly rabbits and a king's crown. The researchers noticed that children who were familiar with logos and other images from fast food restaurants and sodas were more vulnerable to obesity.

"We found the relationship between brand knowledge and BMI to be quite robust," said Anna McAlister, an MSU assistant professor of advertising and public relations who was a member of the research team. "The kids who know most about these brands have higher BMIs."

During the test the children were shown pictures of unhealthy food-related logos.  Pictures included cartoon characters, food items and packaging, which they had to match with their corresponding brand logos.

"The results varied, which is a good thing," McAlister said. "Some kids knew very little about the brands while others knew them exceptionally well."

The study was repeated for the second time and the researchers noticed that among one group, exercise helped in balancing the negative effects of excess familiarity with unhealthy food. But the same finding was not seen in the second group.

"The inconsistency across studies tells us that physical activity should not be seen as a cure-all in fixing childhood obesity," McAlister said. "Of course we want kids to be active, but the results from these studies suggest that physical activity is not the only answer. The consistent relationship between brand knowledge and BMI suggests that limiting advertising exposure might be a step in the right direction too."

Television plays a major role in delivering most of the food messages to children. What harms them more is the sedentary lifestyle that comes with excessive television viewing or unhealthy food messages that children are loaded with.

This finding also highlights the children's association with food or their first language of food. Children don't take time in identifying their likes and dislikes. 

"What we're trying to show here is just how young kids are when they develop their theory of food," McAlister said. "As early as 3 years of age, kids are developing a sense of what food means to them." 

The finding was documented in the journal Appetite.