Illawarra public health expert Dr Bridget Kelly is urging parents to teach kids to be critical of the unhealthy food messages that will be splashed across TV screens during the Rio Olympics.
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Dr Kelly, of the University of Wollongong’s Early Start Research Institute, said viewers would be bombarded by ads and branding by Games sponsors such as Coca Cola, McDonald’s and Cadburys.
‘’Our research shows that kids perceive such companies to be healthier and better because they’ve aligned themselves with sport and healthy pursuits,’’ she said.
‘’So there’s a role for parents to teach their children to be critical of the types of messages coming from companies aligned with everything from junior clubs to major sporting events.’’
It wasn’t just parents’ responsibility to educate young minds; with sports bodies, broadcasters and governments also needing to firm up guidelines around sports sponsorship.
‘’It’s up to governments to say ‘we need tighter restrictions’ and the sporting industry to say ‘this is something we don’t deem to be acceptable’,’’ Dr Kelly said.
‘’We need to be promoting healthy options, so we are growing healthy bodies.’’
New research by the NSW Cancer Council shows that eight out of nine food and beverage sponsors of children’s sport development programs are classified as unhealthy.
‘’Kids we have interviewed in our research have told us they responded positively to the incentives that these sponsors give them when taking part in these programs, such as vouchers and certificates,’’ Dr Kelly said.
Athletes also had a part to play: ‘’It’s a very persuasive message for kids when sporting heroes who’ve won gold for Australia are touting junk food, so we need sports stars to think responsibly as well.’’