Childhood Obesity In Australia

What are the facts? Child obesity is a growing problem in Australia, with an estimated 2/3 of children considered overweight, 1/3 of which are considered obese. Coincidently, Australia not only has the most overweight children, it also has the highest proportion of junk food advertising on commercial television (Chapman et. al, 2006; Morton, 1990; Morton et. al., 2005). In the period between 1985 and 1997 the number of overweight children doubled, and the number of obese young Australian’s tripled (Booth et. al, 2003; Chapman et. al, 2006). Overweight children are 78% more likely to develop adult obesity and are particularly prone to health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, stoke, cardio vascular disease, and other health disorders and diseases (Hill et. al, 1997). Several recent studies have aimed to determine exactly how much junk food
This is also based on advertising costs, which companies have paid for what programming slots etc. Advertising is a huge income raiser for commercial television and without it television stations would not be able to operate. The commercial networks themselves have the final say and to which advertisements will be shown during which programs. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA): The ACMA is an Australian government agency whose main role is to regulate broadcasting content on Australian television. Because children are a particularly vulnerable minority group within society who are still developing cognitive skills, the ACMA controls Children’s Television Standards which aim to protect children by regulating what they are exposed to on commercial television. They set standards and regulation which determine levels and content of advertising on commercial