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McClure states, 'A similar association with obesity was not found for familiarity with televised alcohol ads, suggesting that the relationship was specific to fast-food advertising content. After accounting for overall TV time, TV ad familiarity was still linked with obesity suggesting that this finding is not simply due to increased sedentary time or an effect of TV programming."
The main conclusion of the study was, 'Adolescents and young adults who recognized TV ads for quick-service [fast-food] restaurants more likely to be overweight.'
Dr. James D. Sargent, another author performing the obesity study with Dr. McClure, stated, "The relation between fast-food marketing and obesity is not simply that it prompts more quick-serve restaurant visits.'
Instead, ''¦ individuals who are more familiar with these ads may have food consumption patterns that include many types of high-calorie food brands, or they may be especially sensitive to visual cues to eat while watching TV. More research is necessary to determine how fast-food ad familiarity is linked to obesity.'
Dr. McClure concludes, "Given the broad exposure of youth to advertising, the more we know about how media and marketing affect young people, the better equipped we are as pediatricians and parents to guide them in making healthy diet choices.'
