The advertisement's impact on the nutritional habits of adolescent Research Paper

The advertisement's impact on the nutritional habits of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example This study focuses on adolescent girls within Saudi Arabia. This country was chosen because there have been few studies undertaken on advertising in this part of the world. It is likely that the effects that advertising has on adolescent girls will be significantly different in this part of the world than in Western country. Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country that currently has a population of around 26.5 million people . There is a significant amount of segregation between the genders, and females mostly wear long black robes that cover their bodies . Because of this, it is likely that the influences that advertising has on the nutrition habits and behavior of adolescent girls is different in Saudi Arabia than it is in countries in the Western world. In particular, the aim of this research was to analyze the nutritional habits and behavior of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia, and what effect advertising had on these habits. It was hypothesized that girls exposed to a high amou nt of advertising for unhealthy food would make poorer nutritional decisions than those who had less exposure to advertising. Review of the Literature Adolescence is a particularly important time in development, as decisions made and habits formed during this developmental period partially carry over to adulthood . For example, many adolescents, particularly females, do not eat breakfast in the morning due to a shortage of time or the desire to lose weight. This habit can carry through into their adult life, and females who had this habit when they were adolescents are likely to continue to feel that breakfast is not important. In addition, there is significant concern that the diet of adolescents is... This  «The advertisement’s impact on the nutritional habits of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia » essay outlines and analyzes how the ad changed nutritional behavior of girls in this country. Advertising targeted at young females tends to focus on images of females who are thin, pretty and with good physiques. These images are often airbrushed, or the women themselves have achieved this physical form through eating poorly. Research indicates that advertising images of thin or beautiful women have negative effects on the body image of women viewing them. This can lead to dissatisfaction with their current body, and the modification of beliefs and behaviors associated with eating (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). An example of this is that most females in advertisements for products are thin. This can result in adolescent females feeling that they are inadequate, and beginning to reduce their food intake to attempt to reach this unrealistic goal. Consequently, young females often starve themselves. These habits can remain long into adulthood, and may cause significant physical damage. This effect is strongest in adolescence where individuals are most concerned about their appearance and how they are perceived by others. Additionally, adolescent females are subject to extreme levels of hormones, and this can elevate their responses (Shepherd & Dennison, 1996). Adolescent females use images of others to construct their perceptions about themselves (Thomsen, et al., 2004). Negative body image is associated with a wide range of negative nutritional habits.