Celebrities Endorsing Junk Food Are Contributing To America’s Childhood And Teen Obesity

Celebrities are probably the number 1 influencers. Through their star power and fame, actors, musicians and reality stars have power over consumers, specifically their fans. Those who endorse junk food are capable of altering a child's health for the worse, making them end up obese and unhealthy.

Several studies have already found the impact of celebrity endorsements on childhood obesity in the United States. Plenty of the country's most popular music artists are endorsing unhealthy food including Maroon 5 for Snapple, Justin Timberlake for McDonald's, Jessie J for Pop-Tarts and Cadbury's, Katy Perry for Popchips and Pitbull for Dr. Pepper.

Pepsi is one of the beverages that sought the names of popular celebrities for endorsements deals like Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, One Direction, Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and will.i.am, among others, the Guardian listed. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, endorsed Diet Coke.

Endorsements For Healthy Food Non-Existent

A study conducted by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center found that 79 percent of beverages endorsed by celebrities are sugary drinks, while 80 percent of the foods are lacking nutrition. Celebrity endorsements for fruits, vegetables and whole grains are few or none at all.

Dr. Marie Bragg, the study's lead author and a faculty member at the NYU College of Global Public Health, said celebrities earn millions of dollars for each of their endorsement deals, CNN reported. Companies pick celebrities to promote their products because it would surely boost sales.

The food industry shells out $1.8 billion annually in their marketing strategies geared towards youth alone. Numerous companies have vowed to sidestep marketing to children younger than 12 years old, but teenagers are still being targeted by these firms.

Celebrity Endorsements Make Fighting Childhood Obesity Hard

According to the study's estimations, children view 4,700 advertisements every year while teenagers watch 5,900. Alysa N. Miller, the study's co-author, said adolescents look up to pop stars and musicians and often view them as role models. Miller said celebrities should be responsible on their endorsements because their fame can hamper society's efforts in fighting obesity, adding that promoting healthy food should be the priority.

Bragg acknowledged that it must be hard for celebrities to turn down endorsement deals worth millions. However, she also thinks that celebrities should pick endorsements that have low-calorie drinks and nutrition-filled foods.

Between 2000 and 2014, a U.S. advertising industry found that 65 celebrities directly or indirectly promoted 57 various brands of food and beverage owned by 38 companies, the Guardian reported. Those endorsements aren't limited to magazine ads and television and radio appearances; it also included a celebrity's involvement in a concert sponsored by a certain company's product.