To the Editor: The prevalence of obesity in Australia is increasing, with a quarter of Australians currently obese and two-thirds overweight.1 The fast-food industry is particularly implicated in this, because it offers cheap, high-calorie and low-nutrient food and employs branding that can alter taste preferences.2
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- 1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Overweight and obesity in adults in Australia: a snapshot, 2007–08. Canberra: ABS, 2011. (ABS Cat. No. 4842.0.55.001.) http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/73E036F555CE4C11CA25789C0023DAF8?opendocument (accessed Oct 2011).
- 2. Robinson TN, Borzekowski DLG, Matheson DM, Kraemer HC. Effects of fast food branding on young children’s taste preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007; 161: 792-797.
- 3. Hebden LA, King L, Grunseit A, et al. Advertising of fast food to children on Australian television: the impact of industry self-regulation. Med J Aust 2011; 195: 20-24. <MJA full text>
- 4. Gunnarsdottir I, Thorsdottir I. Should we use popular brands to promote healthy eating among children? Public Health Nutr 2010; 13: 2064-2067.
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