How The Media Keeps You Sick And Obese
Promoting Unhealthy Foods and Beverages:
- Advertising: The media is filled with advertisements for highly processed, sugary, and fatty foods and drinks. This can create a strong association between these products and pleasure, making them more desirable. 1. Advertising of foods and beverages in social media aimed at children: high exposure and low control | BMC Public Health bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com
- Normalization of Unhealthy Eating: TV shows, movies, and social media often depict unhealthy eating habits as normal or even desirable. This can lead to the normalization of unhealthy choices. 1. Most popular American movies depict an unhealthy diet | Stanford Report news.stanford.edu
2. Encouraging Sedentary Lifestyles:
- Screen Time: The increasing popularity of smartphones, computers, and gaming consoles encourages sedentary behavior. These devices can displace physical activity and promote a more passive lifestyle. 1. Health behaviours associated with video gaming in adolescent men: a cross-sectional population-based MOPO study bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com 2. Computer use and physical inactivity in young adults: public health perils and potentials of new information technologies – PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Glamorization of Inactivity: Media often portrays a sedentary lifestyle as glamorous or desirable, particularly in entertainment and fashion. This can influence people to prioritize leisure over physical activity.
3. Misinformation and Misrepresentation:
- Diet Trends: The media often promotes fad diets or quick-fix solutions to weight loss. These can be harmful and unsustainable, leading to nutritional deficiencies and disordered eating. 1. The Impact of Media on Dieting – Stony Brook Media Showcase sbmediashowcase.com 2. Weight loss and fad diets – Better Health Channel www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
- Health Scares: Overblown or sensationalized reporting on health issues can create unnecessary anxiety and fear, leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms.
4. Body Image Issues:
- Unrealistic Beauty Standards: The media often portrays unrealistic body standards, which can lead to body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. 1. Unrealistic body standards create toxic environment – American School in London standard.asl.org
- Weight Stigma: Negative portrayals of overweight or obese individuals can contribute to weight stigma and discrimination, making it more difficult for people to maintain healthy lifestyles. 1. Media Portrayal of People Who are Obese – AMA Journal of Ethics journalofethics.ama-assn.org
It’s important to be aware of these influences and to critically evaluate the information presented in the media. By making conscious choices about what we consume and how we spend our time, we can take steps to protect our health.