Education Roundup

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Advertising makes kids fat

World Health Organization says that the marketing of fast foods is a "probable" cause of overweight and obesity among children around the world. Some U.S. doctors decided to test whether "branding" plays a major role in this.

They gave kids two versions of each of five types of food and drink. One was labeled McDonald's and the other had no label, but they were actually identical. The preschoolers in the test generally identified the ones labeled McDonald's as being the best. The effect was strongest among children with more TV sets in their homes.

The doctors suggested that since the branding effect is so powerful, that we should …