Prevent Disease.com - TV Shows Aimed at Blacks Carry More Junk-Food Ads



		TV Shows Aimed at Blacks Carry More Junk-Food Ads Excerpt By Charnicia Higgins, Reuters Health Prime-time television shows with predominantly black characters include more junk-food advertising and overweight actors than the rest of prime-time TV, according to new study findings. Considering that African Americans are known to watch more television and have higher rates of obesity than the general population--and that television watching has been linked to obesity in various studies--the current findings suggest that television viewing among blacks may contribute to their higher obesity rates, according to the researchers. "The content of television, both in its portrayal of overweight characters and in its advertising, may promote obesity particularly among African Americans, who are already at higher risk than whites," Dr. Anjali Jain of the University of Chicago Children's Hospital in Illinois told Reuters Health. She added: "You may ask--which comes first, the demand for the programs and products, or the supply? And I think it is both. They act together, but demands and stereotypes can be both created and perpetuated by the right package." Previous study findings show that African-American households watch about 75 hours of television each week--23 hours more than the average American household--and that they are more likely to watch shows with a predominantly African-American casts. Further, 27% of African Americans are known to be obese, in comparison to 19% of the general population. Jain and co-author Manasi A. Tirodkar compared how food was portrayed during the fall 1999 television season on four of the most popular sitcoms among black viewers and on four general prime-time favorites. They looked for episodes in which actors mentioned food and drinks or in which food and drinks appeared on the screen, and classified commercials according to the foods--including candy, soda or juice--that were advertised. Altogether, the researchers found that people who watched "Moesha," "Malcolm and Eddie," "Jamie Foxx" and "The Parkers" saw as many episodes featuring food and drink as those who watched "Friends," "Frasier," "Jesse" and "Stark Raving Mad," they report in the American Journal of Public Health. However, viewers of predominantly black prime-time shows saw an average five food commercials per half-hour show, while general prime-time show viewers saw only about three such commercials. About 30% of commercials aimed at either audience were advertisements for fast food, study findings indicate. But while 30% of commercials featured during black prime time were for candy and chocolate, and 13% were for soda, the same was true for only 14% and 2% of commercials that aired during general prime time. None of the commercials during black prime-time shows advertised alcoholic drinks, while nearly 20% of commercials during general prime time did. Jain and Tirodkar say they cannot conclude that the food advertisements aired during black prime time are directly related to the higher rates of obesity among African Americans. Many other factors contribute to weight gain, they write. In other findings, black actors were more likely to be overweight than actors on general prime-time shows. "On comedy shows, in particular, it perpetuates one stereotype of African Americans that has long existed in television, that is, of the humorous overweight black character--this cannot represent the depth and breadth of African Americans or their experiences," Jain said. While the overweight stars may make obesity more acceptable among black viewers, and reduce some its associated social and psychological stigma, the positive portrayal of obese characters "also could diminish the recognition of adverse health consequences related to obesity," according to Jain and Tirodkar. Black prime-time actors also tended to be younger, which suggests their audience is also younger and "especially susceptible to advertising influences," the researchers add. SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health 2003;93:439-441. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".