Advertisment Breakdown

1.) This ad is simple with its visual but I can't really get what it means.
2.)This ad has a communications objective which is"STOP CLIMATE CHANGE". It also has a signature in the WWF label. It doesn't not have sub heads but I think simplicity is the main element for this ad.
3.) I'm not sure who the target audience is in this. I think it is meant to appeal to several people. It's format could be a poster or in a magazine. It's concept is a shocking picture to catch attention

Youth Obesity in America

Obesity in Our Youth and America

Obesity in America’s youth is becoming a pressing problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “more than 30 percent of young people are obese and more than 60 percent have at least one avoidable risk for heart disease” (UnitedHealth Group 1). The Centers for Disease Control also estimates that, between 1970 and 1999, the percentage of overweight children ages 6-11 more than tripled to 13 percent. Adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 also saw a significant increase, reaching 14 percent.

"80 percent of obese children will grow into obese adolescents"

Research indicates that there is an 80 percent chance an overweight adolescent will be an obese adult and that over 300,000 deaths can be attributed to obesity and weight in the United States every year (Yencho 1). What is really frightening is the fact that these kids will be the future generation to take our place. If this trend is not stopped now we could face an America with a staggering amount of medically obese people and with that, heart disease, cancer, and several medical conditions such as diabetes affecting us in the majority. These numbers are simply shocking. We have completely started a downward spiral in health. An article appeared on CNN.com on obesity and its links to cancer where Theresa Tamkins stated: ”Some research suggests that people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing cancer in the first place, possibly due to their weight. Many people with type 2 diabetes are also obese, and obesity is linked to a greater risk of some types of cancer” (Tamkins 1). The fact of the matter is that obesity is not only about being unhealthily obese but that it can lead to serious health issues. We simply cannot allow this to go on any farther for fear of future generations falling to health complications. I believe it is our job to curve this trend of obesity starting with our youth with proper education in and out of households, policies enacted and programs set up by communities.

America’s youth are our future so I believe we need to focus on their problem with obesity. Next time you watch T.V., see how many commercials that promote some kind of food and that are directed to kids. I remember growing up and loving every time the frosted flakes commercials would come on because I loved the tiger that would say “They’re GRREEAAT”. Now I didn’t know it, but it really made me want them and so, every time we were at the store I would beg my Mom to

"Tony the Tiger is one of many advertisement characters that targets youth"

buy that cereal. I loved it and I was happy but, that same cereal is covered in sugar and corn syrup. I think this can apply to a number of commercials that are directed particularly at kids. In recent research, Shin-Yi Chou of Lehigh University, Inas Rashad of Georgia State University, and Michael Grossman of City University of New York Graduate Center co-authored a paper researching the links between advertisement in fast food and weight of our youth.

"McDonalds ranks number one in fast-food advertisement"

The authors found that a ban on fast food television advertisements during children's programming would “reduce the number of overweight children ages 3-11 by 18 percent, while also lowering the number of overweight adolescents ages 12-18 by 14 percent” (Yencho 1). This is only with fast food advertisement. Think of what benefits could be reached by television with no unhealthy foods being advertised; is it viable? Could we, as a society, deal with that? There are the obvious benefits but what about negatives? The point is that without proper education, diet and awareness, these kids don’t have a chance. Advertisements are simply not going to go away and there is more to the problem. I didn’t care about what I ate when I was eleven and I think the majority of people would agree with me. I think we need to make a solid plan for alleviating this problem. Let’s start by taking the proper steps to educate the youth.

I personally had a health class in 8th grade that had a unit on nutrition.We were taught about proper dieting and exercise but not much after that. I propose earlier intervention starting with parents encouraging a proper diet. I think a program set up that targets health education at every grade level would prove beneficial. It could be a quarter long unit which would give a constant attention to health. I believe this could curve the trends. Another place that needs more education is in are very homes.

"Good habits like exercising can be started early at home"

Healthy habits start at home. But unfortunately many families struggle to find a balance that allows them to maintain a healthy lifestyle," said Lynne Vaughan, senior vice president and chief innovation officer for YMCA of the USA. "Our goal is to provide families with tools and resources to incorporate these healthy behaviors into their daily routines so they don't feel the added stress of having to do something extra in their already hectic day" (American Psychological Association 1). This is an awesome example of communities doing their part to contribute to this cause. If we had this kind of education in our homes and communities everywhere maybe we could put a serious dent in the problem. Another great idea is arising in states is a program called “United Health Heroes” which is described as, “a service-learning, health literacy initiative designed to encourage young people, working through educators and youth leaders, to create and implement local hands-on programs to address the issue of childhood obesity” (UnitedHealth Group 1) I love this push for education among the youth because I think the problem really starts with lack of education and awareness.

An area that I think would extremely benefit the youth and help against childhood obesity is in our very schools. I know personally from my experience with schools is that health was not always the concern. My 6^th grade year we could choose between pizza, corndogs, french fries and other

"High Calorie, Low Nutrition"

various fried foods. If I wasn’t full after that; I could go to the snack cart where I could buy snacks such as ice cream or a cookie. Now I’m not going to lie, I loved that when I was twelve but the fact that schools are serving this is astounding. In an article in the Journal of School Health, authors Anastasia Snelling and Teha Kennard discussed a government plan in which all schools participating in the NSLP or National School Lunch Program would have to approve a wellness program by a certain deadline (Snelling ?). This would mean that schools would agree to eliminate high calorie/low nutritional foods such as potato chips, soda pop, etc and serve fresh foods that are both nutritional and healthy. This could give kids, who aren’t eating healthy at home, the chance to receive a quality meal in the day that could add much needed nutrients tom there diet. I think this is more about appearances and weight but the general health of our youth. We need to promote a healthy eating lifestyle in our schools with a balance of quality and nutritious foods.

"America's youth need an efficient physical education program"

Along with nutritious foods and a healthy diet, America’s youth needs more exercise. Though I wish there was more that could make a direct affect out of school, something we can control is physical education in our schools. How about a state law that requires more minutes of physical education during a week? I had to take P.E. in middle school and my freshmen year of high school. It could really benefit to require it every year of high school. An article appeared in the Associated Press discussing Florida’s policies on physical education in the schools. In it, lawmakers passed a bill ”requiring at least 30 minutes of continuous exercise daily” (Kallestad 1) The bill also extends a P.E. requirement to middle schools. I think these kinds of acts at the state level can make a large improvement in the overall health of its students. Some argue though that more time made for physical education takes away from mandatory tests, which determine the amount of money the school may receive along with the effectiveness of its teachers. I do completely agree that education is a top priority but so is health. We need to find a way to compromise and create a system that will allow both. We simply cannot come up with excuses not to have exercise in our schools because it is a necessity to student’s health.

This is not a problem that we can solve overnight but I feel that we must take the steps to reach our goal of having a healthy and thriving Nation. In an article “Fat in the US: Obesity is Rising” Catherine Arnst quotes the Center for Disease and Control and states, “Americans are getting fatter, portending massive costs for the health-care system in general and Medicare in particular. Adult obesity rates increased in 23 U.S. states last year and did not fall in a single state, an annual survey released on July 1 found. Adult obesity rates now exceed 25% in 31 states, up from 28 states last year and 19 the year before that” (Arnst 1). These numbers are simply astounding and must be lowered. We are the official “fattest nation” out there and nothing is going to change that but policies, programs and education supported and funded by our government. Could we maybe promote healthier choices in school lunches like having no preservatives in the food, or making a cut-off for calories from fat? How about a stricter physical education program? What about innovative ways for exercise to make it more enjoyable for children? These are ideas that we need to formulate and pursue. It’s our problem and I completely believe we need to address it now with purpose and urgency. I can only hope that when my children grow up, they can live in the healthiest nation.

Works Cited

Kallesatd, Brent. “Despite money problems, lawmakers want school children in P.E.” Associated Press 6 April 2008

\ Tamkins, Theresa. “Diabetes Increases Cancer Mortality Risk” 17 Dec 2008. Web www.cnn.com 24 Oct 2009

Arnst, Catherine. “Fat in the USA: Obesity is Rising” Bussiness Week 2 July 2009. Web. www.businessweek.com 24 Oct 2009

American Psychological Association “Health Care Reform Starts at Home. APA and YMCA partner to advocate for America’s Well-Being” NewsWire 22 July 2009. Web www.newswire.com 24 Oct 2009

Yencho, Tom. “Researchers: Ban on Fast Food T.V. Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity; Largest Study of Its Kind Offers Policy Alternatives to Curb Epidemic of Overweight Youth” Business Week 19 Nov 2008 Web. www.businessweek.com 11 Nov 2009

Snelling, Anastasia M., and Teha Kennard "The Impact of Nutrition Standards on Competitive Food Offerings and Purchasing Behaviors of High School Students." Journal of School Health 79.11 (2009): 541-546. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Nov. 2009.

UnitedHealth Group. “UnitedHealth Group Grants to Help students and Educators Combat Childhood Obesity” Business Wire. 5 Aug 2009. Web. www.businesswire.com 25 Oct 2009

There are several ideas or themes that can be pulled from Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Loved the Bomb. The recurring theme is obviously the tension between the United States and U.S.S.R in the height of the Cold War. Kubrick does a great job of showing this tension but with an added twist of humor and dark comedy. He plays on dramatic affect for the audience with camera angles and lighting. He uses similar names and quotes from pop culture to relate such as from James Bond: Dr. No. What he also does is leave the point of the movie to the individual to interpret.
One could say that this is to show how men, at that time, were running politics (Notice there was only one women in the entire movie and she wore a bathing suit). You could assume that he wanted the viewers to take the bomb more seriously or just as well, be more light-hearted about it. The point is that there is no set theme. Kubrick said “If I told you the meaning of my films, it wouldn’t be ambiguous, and if you didn’t discover it for yourself, it wouldn’t mean anything anyways.”

In the movie he uses Dark humor and comedy mixed with dramatic camera angles and lighting. Take a look at the scene were it shows Base Commander Ripper explaining to Mandrake that the bomb is on the way. It’s dark in the background giving all detail on him. He is smoking a cigar; maybe this is to show power? You can also notice that the camera is angled so you are looking up at him. This gives the viewer the since of power coming from Ripper at he time.
There are also many different outside sources used to prove another point. The only woman in the entire movie is not only in a bathing suit, but on the cover of Playboy. What does that imply of women’s role in politics at the time? Hey also plays on the name Dr., which was also being used off “Dr. No”, the new James Bond movie that had come out.
This movie has several background elements and several ideas that make you really think. Between all of the humor, dark comedy, play on words, and hidden meanings: this makes for an interesting movie.