A new study found a connection between fast-food television advertisements and childhood obesity.

The study, published in the November issue of The Journal of Law and Economics, is partially based on several years of government survey data from the late 90s, said Elaine Kolish, a spokesperson for the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

The findings point at the idea that banning fast-food ads could result in less obese young children. The number of obese young kids could be reduced by 18% and the number of obese older kids by 14%, experts have estimated.

According to researchers, youngsters who regularly weight themselves (at least once every seven days) tend to be less heavy and eat more healthy, compared to those who don’t weight themselves.

Although health officials and parents ask for the prohibition of fast food TV ads, only three countries have actually taken this measure for the sake of children: Sweden, Norway, and Finland. However, specialists doubt that the United States will also take this step.

On the other hand, there are voices claiming that such TV ads shouldn’t be banned. “There is not a lot of evidence that overweight kids are more likely to watch TV than other kids,” said Michael Grossman, professor of economics at the City University of New York.

Some people say that, instead of forbidding the ads, other actions should be taken. For instance, several experts suggested the removal of federal tax deductions that businesses use for the advertisements. This way, the number of ads would be smaller and, consequently, child obesity rate will be reduced - by 7%, researchers hope.