The Impact of Food Advertisements on Brain Response and Eating Behavior in Children

The purpose of this project is to examine the impact that television food advertisements have
on brain responses and eating behavior in children. Food advertisements enhance children's
liking and intake of foods that tend to be high in energy content and low in nutritional
value. Although several studies have measured the differences in children's food intake after
watching advertisements, none have shown the brain mechanisms associated with this change in
behavior. In order to clarify the relationship between food advertising and eating behavior,
the investigators have assembled a team with expertise in functional imaging, eating
behaviors, and clinical pediatric research. First, the investigators will observe the
differences in children's eating behaviors after being exposed to food commercials or
non-food commercials. Second, the investigators will measure the difference in child brain
response to high and low energy foods after being exposed to food commercials or non-food
commercials. These data will allow us to identify which areas of the brain are specifically
affected by exposure to food commercials and correlate activity in these areas with
children's measured food intake in the laboratory. Forty children ages 7-9 will participate
in this 5-visit study which will be completed over the course of 12 months. Understanding how
food advertisements impact children's brain responses and subsequent eating behaviors will
have implications for understanding why some children respond differently to these cues than
others. These outcomes may also inform the development of more effective programs and
policies to prevent childhood obesity.