Professors Tirtha Dhar and David Ma were interviewed for a Jan. 16 Metro story about a new U.K. study that suggests that teens who stream or watch a lot of TV with ads are likely to consume more unhealthy foods.
Dhar, Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies, told Metro that while the study adds to existing evidence, parents also have a role to play in how much TV their children watch and what foods they buy and eat.
Ma, a professor in U of G’s Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, added that advertising is just one factor contributing to obesity, and that a more holistic approach needs to be taken. Diet quality, physical activity and sedentary behaviour are other factors that need to be examined, said Ma.
Dhar studies food and health marketing, marketing strategy and public policy.
Ma studies how dietary fats influence health and disease throughout life. He is currently examining the role of omega-3 fatty acids in breast cancer prevention.