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The rise in the number of overweight and obese children in the United States is recognized as a serious health threat. Among the factors contributing to this increase is the preponderance of food marketing on television targeted at children. Previous content analysis studies have identified patterns of food product types that are commonly associated with unhealthy diets, but few have attempted to independently evaluate the nutritional quality of advertised foods. This study identifies the nature and extent of food marketing messages presented during children's television programs, while also classifying the products advertised using a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services consumer food rating scheme. The findings indicate that food advertising accounts for nearly half of all commercial messages on children's programs. An average hour includes 11 food ads that account for 4:25 of total ad time. Broadcast channels deliver more food advertising than cable channels, although the types of food products marketed on both channels are highly similar. The overwhelming majority of foods ads directed to children are for high-calorie, low nutrient food products that should not be part of a regular diet. These data provide a baseline for evaluating anticipated future industry efforts at reform, such as attempts to comply with a recent Institute of Medicine (2006) policy recommendation that food marketing to children should be balanced between more healthy and less healthy food products within two years time.

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News stories are a means to create and reinforce cultural norms, such as an understanding of birth. Midwives and doulas provide care for women that fosters safe births, yet their practices remain relatively little known to the public. Using narrative structure and framing as theoretical bases, 185 newspaper articles published in the United States were analyzed to determine how midwives, doulas, and expectant parents were portrayed. Results showed that doulas were represented in stories more often than midwives and with greater explanation of their services. Midwives were described performing a variety of duties without a clear picture of their clinical expertise, whereas doulas were portrayed distinctly in supportive roles. Expectant parents were overwhelmingly depicted in a position of choice, power, and satisfaction. Implications for de-emphasizing midwives, shaping public awareness about birth healthcare providers, and providing women with information about birth healthcare provider choices are discussed. Public Policy Relevance StatementResults of this study demonstrate an increasing demand for additional interdisciplinary healthcare practices that offer families a range of childbirth healthcare providers that includes physicians, midwives, and doulas. Findings also reveal the need for increased education about midwife and doula services for expectant parents as well as the need to facilitate interdisciplinary communication among professionals about the roles of midwives and doulas.