There's little doubt in anyone's mind children who spend copious amounts of time in front of the TV are exposed to a flood of junk food ads and, in so doing, are at a far greater risk of being harmed by the epidemic of childhood obesity.

Nevertheless, food and advertising executives continue to dispute the problem as they did in a Wednesday report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (reviewing some 8,900 ads aired on 13 networks during a five-month period in 2005), calling it "a very good snapshot," and that the marketing landscape for kids had changed since that year.

That is, if you call a voluntary agreement among 11 large advertisers to kids -- among them Kraft and McDonald's -- to make 50 percent of their ads aimed at kids devoted to healthier lifestyles a true compromise.

By the numbers:

• Kids in the 8-12 age group viewed the most foods ads every day (21).
• Half of the commercials aired on shows intended for kids under age 12 were devoted to food ads.
• Nearly 20 percent offer some incentive, like a game or toy.
• No ads promoted vegetables or fruits.

Just a reminder, there's plenty of steps you can take that will make a huge difference in battling the childhood obesity epidemic in your own home, and limiting the time your child spends in front of a TV is crucial.