The survey which polled 2100 parents in the UK showed that 43% of parents are asked to buy unhealthy products by their children at least once a week, while 39% of parents think television ads make it difficult to implement strict healthy eating guidelines within the home.
Mike Hobday, director of the British Heart Foundation, agrees that specific ads contribute to children's poor eating habits, saying: "This evidence shows that junk food ads are having a detrimental impact on children's behaviour and are hindering parent's efforts to get their children to eat healthily."
With this in mind, the director hopes that stricter guideline can be put in place to ensure children won't be exposed to specific adverts, saying: "Loopholes in the system mean that every day millions of children are exposed to sophisticated marketing techniques specifically designed to lure them in to unhealthy habits."
He is calling on the government to make the necessary changes, saying: "The government must act now to help give children a stronger chance at fending off future heart disease."
