Should adverts for unhealthy foods be banned?
New research suggests the general public wants to see adverts that promote sugary foods and drinks be banned before the watershed, to help fight the current problem Britain is facing with children’s oral health.
The latest figures show that thousands of children aged between three and five are being hospitalised each year with tooth decay so severe some need all of their baby teeth removing. Despite the fact we lose our first teeth, dental health is crucial from a very young age given that it determines what our oral health will be like as an adult, and the current statistics are alarming professionals.
Now, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has commissioned a survey to get a sense of public opinion on the matter, and calls have been made to ban such adverts before 9pm. Of the more than 2000 people who took part in the survey, 90% wanted education in schools to focus on promoting healthy eating, while nearly two thirds believed more money needed to be spent on improving the health of young people.
Head of Staffordshire University’s business school, Paul Williams, stated that the youth are more susceptible to marketing campaigns, which is why major brands target children. By ‘getting them at a young age’, there is a higher guarantee that they will continue to buy products from that firm in the future. For this reason, Williams suggests that marketing could be more ‘sensitively’ carried out, something that could be worked out between the food industry and the health industry.
In 2012/13, the National Child Measurement Programme found that around one in 10 reception year children and one in five year six pupils were classified as obese, both figures higher than the national average. The fight to save children’s physical and dental health has become urgent.
Oral health expert, Jenny Thompson, is working with primary schools to raise awareness of healthy eating benefits and how to properly look after teeth. She says that both of these aspects work together to improve health – a child can have great brushing technique, but if they are eating ‘the wrong things at the wrong time’, it can have a serious impact on teeth. The same is true for the opposite – a healthy diet will not keep teeth in good condition if they are not cared for.
