April 25 (ANI): A recent research has found that food advertisements on television result in more than 100 percent increase in food intake of obese and overweight children.

The study, conducted by the University of Liverpool psychologists will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Budapest this week.

The researchers showed a series of both food ads and toy ads, followed by a cartoon, to a group of 60 children of varying weights, aged between nine and eleven years.

Following the ad screenings, the food intake by the kids was considerably higher compared with the toy adverts in all weight groups.

The obese children increased their consumption by 134 percent, overweight children by 101 percent and normal weight children by 84 percent.

It was also found that food preference during the experiment was dictated by weight. Food of varying fat contents was given to the children to eat at their own will, ranging from high fat sweet snacks to low fat savoury products.

The obese group again and again chose the highest fat product - chocolate - whereas the overweight children chose jelly sweets which have a lower fat content, as well as chocolate.

Dr Jason Halford, Director of the University’s Kissileff Human Ingestive Behaviour Laboratory commented: “Our research confirms food TV advertising has a profound effect on all children’s eating habits – doubling their consumption rate. The study was also particularly interesting in suggesting a strong connection between weight and susceptibility to over-eating when exposed to food adverts on television.”

In the UK, 14 percent of children are categorised as obese and the average UK child watches 17 hours of commercial television per week. A ban on junk food advertising around children’s television programmes was introduced in the UK in January 2007 yet surveys have shown that many children still watch during ‘family viewing’ hours in the evening when the ban does not apply. (ANI)