On any given day, an average of 1 in 3 American children will eat fast food, gaining around 40 percent of their daily calories from pizza, burgers, fries, etc. So, one would hope that with all of the calories, sodium and sugar that they intake, they would be active and otherwise completely healthy; it seems to be, though, that the opposite is true. With such an easy access to T.V., video games, cell phones, and more, “the outside world” can feel like it’s growing obsolete. Of course, there are things that attempt to get children up and out, such as the new obsession with Pokemon GO!, but what could be more influential to a child than a fitness toy in their happy meal?
Recently, fast-food chain McDonald’s has started handing out “Step-It!” toys in their kids meals in the U.S. and Canada. The toy is a wrist-watch that tracks activity level (much like the FitBit fitness tracker), with the assumed goal of inspiring the kids that receive them to be more active. When most people think “McDonald’s”, good health and fitness probably isn’t the first thing to come to mind. However, this could be a move in the right direction, especially with the frighteningly high child obesity levels in America.
In fact, McDonald’s has been listening to its customer base with the addition of healthy options in their Happy Meals in 2011. Parents can choose from milk, apples, fruit juice and water for their children’s meal in place of French fries and a soft drink. Additionally, they can choose from an array of fruit and vegetables; a move that earned them approval from First Lady Michelle Obama who has been making strides in fighting childhood obesity since coming into office. McDonalds promised to promote healthy eating to children in fun ways through advertising utilizing messaging about nutrition. While there are healthier options in kids meals, like apples, yogurt and milk, the more popular options are the fries, nuggets and soda. Sales of healthy options for Happy Meals show that it’s still not the widespread hit they hoped it to be. The addition of the “Step-It!” fitness toy makes good on their promise to promote healthy eating options.
This type of fitness-promoting toy being handed out in fast food happy meals could potentially begin to turn the obesity epidemic, if the promotion is widespread and long-lasting. McDonalds chose the right time to launch the promotion as well, timing the release with the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics. With children watching the athletes many of them would want to be like the hero of their choice so the debut of the fitness toy could not have been better timed. Still if children don’t use the fitness toys, as well as eating healthy, then the step in the right direction will have not moved us forward.
Unfortunately, the “Step-It!” promotion was cut short; ending earlier this week after a mother noticed burns on her child’s wrist after wearing the watch for only a few minutes. The watch was battery powered, and it looked as though the batteries had over heated, causing the burns to her son’s wrist. There won’t be a lawsuit, and the child is okay, but to be safe, McDonald’s has recalled the toys, effectively ending the promotion of them.
While this promotion had its flaws, the idea is spectacular. The concept of offering healthier choices, and handing out toys that promote health and activity is a wonderful idea. The fast-food chain Wendy’s has been in on this idea for a while, offering grilled chicken wraps, apples, and milk or organic fruit juice in their kids meals, as well as a re-occurring toy promotion that gives “outdoor games”, such as capture the flag or kick the can. Burger King has been offering healthy options for kids since 2007 offering organic apple sauce, low-fat milk and fresh apple fries to children. However, they do not offer fitness promoting toys in their kids meals.
While the execution of the idea of offering toys that promote fitness needs to go more smoothly, these big companies have a large influence on the children they serve, and could potentially help to curve the childhood obesity epidemic- one happy meal at a time.
