Pizza. Cola. Fast food. Children are bombarded with ads for high-calorie, low-nutrient products every day on television.

Now findings from a new report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) say such food marketing is severely affecting the diets of children and youth.

In Milwaukee, there are 92,735 African American children and adolescents under 18 years of age. Each year, an average American child sees about 40,000 ads on television, half of which are for junk food.

Because food preferences and eating patterns formed early in life are often carried into adulthood, junk food ads targeted at children may increase a child’s lifetime risk of becoming overweight or obese or other health problems like cancer.

In 2003, 14.2% African American high school students in Wisconsin were overweight. Sixteen percent of U.S. African American high school students are overweight.

Current patterns of overweight and obesity in the United States may account for up to 14% of all deaths from cancer in men--20% of those in women.

Some studies have found links between obesity and cancers of the gallbladder, ovaries, and pancreas as well as colon, breast, and esophagus.

"Current food and beverage marketing practices put kids' long-term health at risk," said J. Michael McGinnis of the Institute of Medicine.

According to the IOM report, companies spent an estimated $11 billion to market foods, beverages, and meals to American children in 2004. It seems to be working.

The top four items children ages 8-12 years purchase themselves--candy or snacks, soft drinks, fast food, and cereal--are high-calorie and low-nutrient foods and beverages, for which kids spent nearly $27 billion in 2002.

These eating habits put children at increased risk for serious health problems like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and some forms of cancer. McGinnis says children can avoid these problems by developing healthy eating habits.

"They have to reduce their intake of high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods, and sweetened drinks, which make up a high proportion of the products marketed to kids."

McGinnis says parents and the food, beverage, and restaurant industries must also play a central role in protecting the health of children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides state-based nutrition and physical activity programs to prevent obesity in children. For more information about the programs in Wisconsin, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/state_programs/index.htm.