A recent study in the Journal of Pediatrics assesses the nutritional value of foods endorsed by athletes, reports 10 News Tampa Bay.  Researchers examined 62 products that have been endorsed by professional athletes and determined that, of these, 80 percent lacked the nutritional value to be considered healthy for kids.  Additionally, of the beverages that had a professional athlete’s endorsement, 93 percent had added sugar.  The advertisements with athletes can influence both kids and parents.

According to the Globe and Mail, the lead author on the study is interested in the issue because of the irony that some of the fittest people in the world would be advocating some of the unhealthiest foods.  Recently, the athletic world has come under scrutiny for these endorsements.  In June, child nutrition specialists and advocates criticized tennis star Maria Sharapova over her line of sugar candy, Sugarpova, accusing her of exploiting her status to promote junk food.  Last year, the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges publicly criticized the London Olympics Committee auctioning off the exclusive rights to sell brand name food and non-alcoholic beverages at the Olympic Games to McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.

Surprisingly, another study found that 94 percent of 2,000 elite athletes surveyed “showed a strong disinclination” to personally pitch unhealthy foods.  Despite this personal preference, it seems athletes are in fact endorsing unhealthy foods.  This may be because more than half of the athletes surveyed, 54 percent, thought sports was an acceptable marketing tool for even unhealthy foods.

An earlier study in the journal Public Health Nutrition assessed parents’ responses to common, potentially misleading strategies for marketing high-calorie, low-nutrition child-oriented foods.  When choosing between these unhealthy foods and healthier counterparts, sports celebrity endorsements made parents more likely to choose the unhealthy options.  Sports celebrity endorsements also enhanced parent’s perceptions of typical consumers of the product, perceptions of product healthiness and quality, as well as purchase intentions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that, over the last 30 years, childhood obesity has more than tripled in adolescents and doubled in children.  More than one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.  These conditions increase the risk of multiple short-term and long-term health effects, including high blood pressure, joint problems, heart disease, and cancer. This is the next step in a national battle against childhood obesity.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach to reducing childhood obesity.