Junk food epidemic
Children are spending more than 80 per of their pocket money on junk food and sweet drinks, a recent poll found.
The Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Abac canvassed 1,139 Bangkok youngsters aged 11 to 15. They were given an average of Bt65 a day and spent Bt30 on snacks and Bt20 on sweet and fizzy drinks, said Assistant Professor Wittaya Kulsombat, head of the consumer health protection division. They spend about 83 per cent of their money on "unhealthy" food and drinks, he said. These findings, he said, corresponded with a recent survey by the National Economic and Social Advisory Council that showed children spent about Bt9,800 each per year, or about Bt170 billion in total, on junk food. About 40 per cent of children are influenced by TV commercials, revealed the pollsters. "The higher the consumption of these snacks and drinks, the lower the nutritional intake," Wittaya said. This affects physical and mental development and boosts the rise in obesity and diseases associated with a poor diet, he said.
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