The relationship of Saturday morning television commercials viewed and the food consumption of third graders

The relationship of Saturday morning television food commercials viewed and the food consumption of third graders in the Franklin County Community School Corporation in Franklin County, Indiana, was investigated. Such information should help parents, dietitians, and teachers educate children, ultimately producing a healthier population. The results of this study could possibly assist the federal agencies revise guidelines to help protect the children.The independent variable measured was food commercials viewed on Saturday morning; the dependent variable was food consumed. The instrument was designed, pilot-tested, and administered by the researcher with subjects’ identities remaining anonymous.Following data collection, the relationship between the variables was tested using phi coefficient. The phi value of .470 was considered to be significant beyond the .05 level to .00000 level. It was concluded that foods viewed on television are significantly correlated with foods consumed.