Children aged 3-5 Brainwashed by Fast Food Advertizing

A study of 63 children aged 3-5 in California has revealed the power of advertizing to affect young minds. When presented with identical foods, most children said that it tasted better when presented in a McDonalds wrapper.

"This study demonstrates simply and elegantly that advertising literally brainwashes young children into a baseless preference for certain food products," said Dr. David Katz, the director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

Although children this young don't have pocket money, the marketing world still targets them recognizing the impact of 'pester power' on parental decisions. This research, reported in Forbes.com, indicated that a third of the children ate at McDonalds at least once a week. More than half the kids had a TV in their rooms.

Lessons to learn:

• Don't give young kids a TV in their bedroom
• If they are already brainwashed, try wrapping their fresh fruit and veggies in McDonalds wrappers