Doctors calls for stricter policies on unhealthy food advertisements aimed at kids

By Angela Betsaida B. Laguipo, BSNSep 25 2019

Doctors slam Ofcom, the UK government-approved regulatory authority for broadcasting and telecommunications, for being influenced by commercial rather than public health stakeholders.The agency is responsible for regulating telecoms, postal sectors, television, and radios.

Today, children including adolescents are exposed to a wide range of mass media advertisements, including those promoting unhealthy foods. This drives doctors to call for change in the regulation of these commercials and advertisements being played in televisions.

Image Credit: Haywiremedia / Shutterstock

Doctors want that health officials working in public health as regulators or policy makers on advertisements of unhealthy food to children. Of all people, they are more well-versed in this line of work and they provide strict regulations in restricting certain commercials, during the kids’ TV time.

In a new study published in the journal BMJ Open, the researchers said that the industry has unduly influenced the regulations for TV advertising of unhealthy foods to children. Hence, they said that since Ofcom’s duty is to protect commercial broadcast interests, they should not be responsible for a public health issue.

Instead, the doctors argue, that public health doctors should be the ones to decide on this matter, noting that they are more credible in making decisions regarding health. The researchers based their conclusions on a thematic analysis of responses from stakeholders to the public consultation on proposals, which became effective in 2009. The proposals aimed to emphasize rules on TV advertising of foods for children and even teens.

In total, there were 1,136 responses, with 139 coming from advertisers, retailers, politicians, public doctors, campaigner, and broadcasters. The UK broadcast regulator conducted the consultation between 2006 and 2007.

“Public health policy making appears to be considered as a balance between commercial and public health interests. Tactics such as the questioning and reframing of scientific evidence may be used,” the researchers concluded in the study.

“In this example, exploring the development of policy regulating television food advertising to children, commercial considerations appear to have led to a watering down of initial regulatory proposals, with proposed packages not including the measures public health advocates considered to be the most effective. This seems likely to have compromised the ultimate public health effectiveness of the regulations eventually implemented,” they added.

What should be done

The doctors say that Ofcom may have prioritized commercial considerations over the health of the children. This fact has led to questioning of the conflict of interests of the regulatory body, if protecting broadcasting interests should be a reason for not allowing it to lead a public health regulation.

They added that Ofcom should have banned adverts of high-sugar, high-fat, and salty food before 9 p.m. when children are still watching programs like evening shows with their parents. Despite banning junk food advertisements during shows watched by children aged 4 to 15 years old, it did so after two years. It banned the adverts only after industry representatives told it to do so.

“As a broadcast regulator, Ofcom may not be best placed to determine public health policy,” Dr Ahmeed Razavi, lead author of the study, said.

“The 9 pm watershed is now being considered as a policy measure over a decade after the initial Ofcom consultation, where earlier action could have helped combat childhood obesity and prevented some children becoming ill as a result,” he added.

Public health doctors argue that the restrictions should be implemented right away, but children’s channels asked for a leeway or a transitional period before it gets fully imposed.

The issue on TV advertising of unhealthy foods during the time that children are watching, is an important step in the efforts to battle childhood and adult obesity. Mass media is a major influencer among children today; hence, stricter policies should be implemented to promote health, even for teens.