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SALT LAKE CITY — Ronald McDonald, Tony the Tiger and the Trix bunny all have one thing in common: Kids know them on a first-name basis.
At a glance, this may seem like harmless fun. However, a recent Michigan State University study found evidence that may ask parents to think twice about their children's logo knowledge.
The study asked children between the ages 3 and 5 to match pictures of brand name logos with pictures of food, packaging and cartoon characters.
“The results varied, which is a good thing. Some kids knew very little about the brands while others knew them exceptionally well,” said Anna McAlister, MSU professor and member of the research team.
In addition, the study found a correlation between familiarity of food mascots and a high body mass index in children.
“We found the relationship between brand knowledge and BMI to be quite robust,” said McAlister. “The kids who know most about these brands have higher BMIs.”
We found the relationship between brand knowledge and BMI to be quite robust. The kids who know most about these brands have higher BMIs.
–Anna McAlister, MSU professor
Researchers experimented with the same procedures twice. The first experiment found exercise balanced out the body mass index in children who recognized food logos. However, the second experiment lent no evidence to support this.
“The inconsistency across studies tells us that physical activity should not be seen as a cure-all in fixing childhood obesity," McAlister commented on the results of the two experiments. "Of course we want kids to be active, but the results from these studies suggest that physical activity is not the only answer.
"The consistent relationship between brand knowledge and BMI suggests that limiting advertising exposure might be a step in the right direction too.”
A preventative step parents may take is limiting their child's time in front of the TV since this is a primary source of advertisement to children, the University of Utah suggests.
While the study acknowledged children's time in front of the television does affect the amount of advertising children are exposed to, researchers say this was not the only reason children know food logos. The lifestyle children are accustomed to affects their awareness with food logos more than TV does.
“What we’re trying to show here is just how young kids are when they develop their theory of food. As early as 3 years of age, kids are developing a sense of what food means to them," said McAlister.
