Aussies support junk food crackdown: study
Most of the Australians would support "traffic light" labeling on foods and banning junk food advertising during children's television viewing times, a new study shows.
The study found 87 % of 1,500 Australians surveyed would support color-coding on packaged food to point out healthier options.
Of those surveyed, 83 % agreed with a ban on advertising junk foods on TV during popular children viewing times, however only 56 % supported a total ban on advertising unhealthy foods.
The study by the Cancer Council Victoria and Obesity Policy Coalition, published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, problemed the main grocery shopper in 1,511 households nation-wide.
People aged 18 to 64 took part however those who nominated themselves as the household's grocery shopper were generally women aged between 35 to 54 years.
Most participants (84 per cent) were also in favor of kilojoules information displays at fast-food outlets and 87 per cent supported regulations for food companies to decrease the fat, sugar and salt content of processed foods.
Almost all of such surveyed - 97 % - supported restricting junk food marketing to children through email and mobile phone text messages, while 93 % thought it must be restricted in magazines and 89 % supported restrictions on websites.
Taxing unhealthy food was not as accepted, unless the money was employed to make healthy food more affordable, with 71 % supporting this option.
The study's authors said the research showed there was strong public support for tougher food labeling and advertising regulations.
"There's high support for government to intervene, however particularly high support among those new (technology) platforms," said co-author Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition.
"Children are not being sufficiently protected, and parents are limited in their capability to intervene, particularly with new technologies like mobile phones and computers," she told AAP.
Front-of-pack color-coded food labeling systems have been recommended by a recent Australian government review, with a decision expected by the end of 2012.
New rules regarding marketing fast food to children on television were introduced in August 2009, but a review last year found the voluntary code had failed to decrease the number of junk food ads.
Meanwhile, the federal government's Food and Health Dialogue group encourages companies to decrease the amount of salt in foods such as bread, soups, sauces and pies.
Kellogg's lately announced it would decrease the amount of salt in its cornflakes and rice bubbles by 20 per cent.
Statistical Interpretation Assignment (worth 5%) Read your article and answer the given:
problem 1: Does the heading match the information in the article? Describe.
problem 2: Discuss any misleading features of the report.
problem 3: Are the sampling method and the sample size stated? If so, give details. If the sampling method is not given, how do you think the data may have been collected?
problem 4: Is the sample a random one, or could it be somehow biased? Describe.
problem 5: What variables have been measured or observed, and what is the data type for each variable?
problem 6: Do you think the results of the study would be true for the larger population? Describe.
problem 7: Overall, how valid do you think the report is?