Limited-edition flavor promotions. Pop-ups on the Net. Junk food blogs. Cereal ads in cartoon shows. Between traditional and emerging media, today's youth are exposed to more advertisements for food and beverages than ever--and, unfortunately, the rising number of overweight and obese children and teenagers reflects this, as do the alarming rates of weight-related disease among young people.

Advances in Communication Research to Reduce Childhood Obesity focuses not only on the power of media in driving food choices in youth, but how these same media may be harnessed in reversing the obesity epidemic. Spanning psychology, marketing, and policy, the book explores the range of advertising strategies targeting young people, salient technological innovations, food industry responses to recent policy initiatives, and issues concerning groups who are at greater risk such as minors from lower-income households who are often faced with food insecurity and poor nutrition, which typically impact communities of color, and pre-teens. Its focus on the multiple levels of communication across these concerns offers readers important insights into both the scope of the problem and the opportunities for solutions. Included in the coverage:

• The strategic nature of marketing to children and adolescents by food and beverage companies.
• The role of schools in food and beverage marketing.
• A multi-method study of how youth perceive and evaluate food advertising.
• First Amendment implications for combating obesity through regulation of advertising.
• Targeted marketing of junk food to minority youth: communities fight back.
• Leveraging industry efforts to fight childhood obesity.