A Yale University study has revealed that all those lovable cartoon characters such as Shrek, Scooby Doo and Dora the Explorer tend to influence children’s eating habits, and not positively either.
Cartoon characters inspire kids’ food choice, making them more likely to reach for the sugary snacks rather than the healthier carrot options, the study revealed.
In the study, children aged 4 to six were given several options: gummy fruit, carrots and graham crackers all labeled with cartoon character and then again the same snacks labeled without the cartoon characters.
Then the kids were asked what they wanted and what tasted better. The healthier options were rejected in favor of the more sugary ones by the children, who also showed a preference for the items with the stickers.
This study underscores the fact of how much kids are influenced by the many cartoon figures and characters than people in their lives. It also proves that advertising has a very powerful influence on children’s choices but that however using this technique to make them eat healthier is not as effective.
This makes grocery shopping difficult with children in favor of the sugary fatty snacks and parents reaching for healthier alternatives.
Though it is a growing trend to label food products with popular children’s characters, very few products meet the nutritional standards required to be met for children.
