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Superman and Batman to Combat Childhood Obesity

by Kathy Jones on Jul 21 2012 11:58 PM

 Superman and Batman to Combat Childhood Obesity
Researchers at Cornell University have suggested recruiting superheroes in combating the rising rates of obesity among children.
With superheroes such as Spiderman and Batman being popular among children, Cornell University researchers said that they can be used to positively influence children in making the right choices in their diet.

The researchers conducted a small study on a group of 22 children, giving them the option of choosing either apple fries or French fries during their weekly lunches. The children were then shown pictures of superheroes, including Batman, and were asked which of the two items would they have chosen.

The researchers found that when the children were shown the pictures, 10 of the 22 children chose apple fries compared to just two children when no pictures were shown. “It’s subconscious, subtle priming. “It gets them thinking not ‘What do I want?’ but ‘What might somebody who I admire like?’”, lead researcher Brian Wansink said.



Source-Medindia


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