Soda ads increasingly target Latino and African-American children, a new study said.
Ads for the sugary drinks, linked to weight gain, are worrying researchers who say the trend is tied to the rising obesity epidemic, according to a recent study by Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Children, some as young as toddlers, face a future of health challenges including diabetes and heart disease, said Dr. Janesri DeSilva.
"I'm seeing children who are having difficulty with crawling and walking," DeSilva said. "They have problems with their bones carrying their weight."
The new study tracked 23 beverage companies and the way they market their products to kids.
In 2013, black children and teens were exposed to twice as many sugary soda and energy drinks than their white counterparts, the study found.
Marketing of such beverages to Latino children and teens is also increasing, as Spanish language populations grow in size.
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Natalie Martinez said her 4-year-old son Jacob always says, "Mom, I want some of that" after seeing soda commercials on TV and mobile phones and billboards.
She said she tries to feed him healthy food, but it becomes difficult.
"The commercials ... They make it seem so delicious," Martinez said.
A spokesman for the American Beverage Association, the trade association that represents America's nonalcoholic beverage industry, said the study is "somewhat misleading."
None of them advertise beverages other than juice, water or milk-based drinks to any audience under 12 years old, the spokesman said.
