Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 04

     
     1        factor in this.  Of course, very young children, the
     2        influence of parents is likely to be much greater.
     3        18 months old, children are moving from weaning foods on to
     4        family foods.  I am not saying that at 18 months (and I do
     5        not believe the report says that) that the influence of
     6        advertising is necessarily at that age going to be the
     7        greatest influence, direct influence, on a child because we
     8        are specifically here talking about 18 months.
     9
    10        What I would like to add to that is that we also have to
    11        look at where the parents may have been getting their ideas
    12        about food and nutrition from.  This particular study
    13        showed that parents themselves were not particularly eating
    14        a healthy diet.
    15
    16        I think if one were to go further in looking at different
    17        influences, and this particular study did not seek to look
    18        at all influences on the whole process, I use this
    19        reference to look at the diets of children and why they may
    20        be cause for concern.  This was one example which showed
         that children like many of their parents, young children
    22        here, were eating what may be thought to be, rather, diets
    23        that could be better from a nutritional point of view.
    24
    25        It was not used in this case to look at the relative value
    26        of influences on children's diets.
    27
    28   Q.   Do you perceive a difference, Ms. Dibb, between saying on
    29        the one hand that advertising to children is a powerful or
    30        the most powerful influence on their food choices, saying
    31        that on the one hand, and saying on the other hand
    32        advertising has an influence on anybody and, to some
    33        extent, the choices which parents make for their children's
    34        food may be influenced by advertising.  Do you see a
    35        difference between those two propositions?
    36        A.  Could you repeat that?
    37
    38   Q.   Yes.  Do you see a difference between saying advertising to
    39        children has an influence on their food choices as powerful
    40        as that of their parents, that is the first proposition,
         and the second proposition which I ask whether you can
    42        distinguish, is saying that advertising influences, to some
    43        extent, everybody's choices, and it may be that in the
    44        choices which the parent makes for his children's or her
    45        children's food advertising has a role to play?
    46        A.  Certainly advertising, I believe, does have a role to
    47        play in influencing both children directly and indirectly
    48        through their parents.
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Mr. Rampton was asking if you saw a 
    51        difference or a distinction between the two? 
    52        A.  Between saying that children are being directly 
    53        influenced and that children are being influenced through
    54        their parents?
    55
    56   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes.
    57        A.  I think they are all part of the same picture.  After
    58        all, that is what goes on in the world; influences interact
    59        with each other and reinforce each other maybe.  I think it
    60        is all part of the greater picture.