Television ads influence the food choices of more boys than girls, according to a Canadian study.
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University of Montreal researchers studied the eating habits of more than 500 10-year-olds, and found “when they are watching TV, boys pay more attention to the appearance of food, which prompts them to ask their parents to buy the foods they see in commercials.” While viewing TV, boys chose foods with more salt, sugar and fat than girls did.
In general, girls made healthier choices whether watching TV or not, preferring muffins over pizza, natural over sweetened cereals, and chose to snack on raw vegetables rather than chips. The study also noted that a contributing factor to kids’ poor eating habits is the North American trend of children having their own bedroom television sets.
