Television food advertising to children: a global perspective

A nutritional comparison of foods and beverages marketed to children in two advertising policy environments

Childhood obesity is associated with children's exposure to food/beverage marketing. Policy options in this area are being sought in order to reduce childhood obesity rates on a population-level. We examined the nutritional quality of foods advertised to children during their preferred television viewing in Ontario (Canada), where advertising is self-regulated by industry, and in Quebec (Canada), where a child-directed advertising ban exists. A total of 428 children aged 10-12 years completed television viewing diaries for 7 days. Thirty-two television stations were recorded simultaneously between 6 AM and midnight. A content analysis of 90 h of English Ontario, French Quebec, and English Quebec children's preferred viewing was then undertaken. A total of 429 food and beverage advertisements were analyzed and their nutritional quality was assessed. Food advertisements in the Quebec French sample were statistically significantly higher in total fat, saturated fat and protein, and lower in carbohydrates and sugar per 100 g, and as a percentage of energy than food ads in the two English samples. A statistically significantly lower percentage of the Quebec French food advertisements were classified as either high fat, sugar or sodium and a smaller proportion of food ads were classified as "less healthy" compared to the Ontario and Quebec English samples. These results suggest that the Quebec advertising ban is influencing the macronutrient profile of advertised foods viewed by French Quebec children during their preferred viewing and that their promotions are marginally healthier than that viewed by the English samples.

Evaluation of food and beverage television advertising during children's viewing time in Spain using the UK nutrient profile model

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the nutritional quality of products advertised on television (TV) during children’s viewing time in Spain, applying the UK nutrient profile model (UKNPM).

DESIGN

We recorded 80 h of four general TV station broadcasts during children’s time in May and June 2008, and identified all advertisements for foods and beverages. Nutritional information was obtained from the product labels or websites and from food composition tables. Each product was classified as healthy (e.g. gazpacho, a vegetable juice) or less healthy (e.g. potato crisp snacks) according to the UKNPM criteria.

SETTING

Four free-of-charge TV channels in Spain: two national channels and two regional ones.

SUBJECTS

TV commercials of food and beverages.

RESULTS

A total of 486 commercials were broadcast for ninety-six different products, with a mean frequency of 5?1 advertisements per product. Some 61?5% of the ninety-six products were less healthy, and the percentage was higher for foods (74?1 %). All (100 %) of the breakfast cereals and 80% of the non-alcoholic drinks and soft drinks were less healthy. Of the total sample of commercials, 59?7% were for less healthy products, a percentage that rose to 71?2% during children’s reinforced protection viewing time.

CONCLUSIONS

Over half the commercials were for less healthy products, a proportion that rose to over two-thirds during the hours of special protection for children. This suggests that applying the UKNPM to regulate food advertising during this slot would entail the withdrawal of most food commercials in Spain. TV advertising of products with low nutritional quality should be restricted.

Hábitos alimentares e comportamento de consumo infantil: influência da renda familiar e do hábito de assistir à televisão

OBJETIVO: Comparar hábitos alimentares e comportamento de consumo de crianças de diferentes níveis de renda familiar de Florianópolis (SC), Brasil, relacionando-os com o hábito de assistir à televisão. MÉTODOS: Estudo qualitativo com análise de conteúdo de manuscritos originados de 23 grupos focais, realizados em uma escola pública e uma escola particular de Florianópolis (SC), compostos por 111 estudantes de 7 a 10 anos. Para verificar a renda familiar dos estudantes, dados sobre a ocupação dos pais foram classificados pela Classificação Brasileira de Ocupações. Os estudantes da escola particular pertenciam a famílias de maior renda em relação aos da escola pública. RESULTADOS: Nas duas escolas, a maioria das crianças entrevistadas referiu assistir à televisão sempre que possível, sem sentir controle dos pais sobre esse hábito. Além disso, afirmaram ter dinheiro para gastos independentes e vontade de comprar os produtos anunciados nas propagandas de televisão. Estudantes da escola pública relataram ingerir e adquirir guloseimas mais frequentemente e ter maior liberdade para fazer compras do que os estudantes da escola particular, que revelaram sentir-se controlados pelos pais em relação aos seus hábitos alimentares e compras realizadas. CONCLUSÃO: O fato de os estudantes da escola particular sentirem-se mais controlados por seus pais pode ter reduzido uma provável influência da televisão sobre seus hábitos alimentares e de compras. Evidencia-se a importância da formulação de estratégias para auxiliar os pais a reduzirem os efeitos da televisão sobre os hábitos de seus filhos e de políticas públicas que incentivem o consumo saudável, além da regulamentação do marketing de alimentos pouco nutritivos para o público infantil.

Evidence-based recommendations for the development of obesity prevention programs targeted at preschool children

The ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence-based approach, using the findings of four reviews. These reviews included three critical and narrative reviews of educational strategies and psychological approaches explaining young children's acquisition and formation of energy-balance related behaviours, and the management of these behaviours, and also a systematic review of behavioural models underpinning school-based interventions in preschool and school settings for the prevention of obesity in children aged 4-6 years. This paper summarises and translates the findings from these reviews into practical evidence based recommendations for researchers and policy-makers to consider when developing and implementing interventions for the prevention of overweight and obesity in young (aged 4-6 years) children. The recommendations focus on two behaviours, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and healthy eating, and include general recommendations, intervention approaches, interventions content, and simple messages. The review also briefly examines the role that the commercial sector plays in hindering or facilitating attempts to create healthy food environments for children. This paper also recognises that childhood obesity is not an issue for the education sector alone; it needs to be tackled at a multi sectoral level, recognizing the particularly important role of local governments, nongovernment organizations and the media.

The manufacture of lifestyle: the role of corporations in unhealthy living

Recently, researchers have debated two views on the connection between lifestyle and health. In the first, health-related lifestyles including tobacco and alcohol use, diet, and physical activity are seen as primary influences on health. In the second, social stratification is the dominant influence with lifestyles simply markers of social status. Neither approach leads to interventions that can reverse the world's most serious health problems. This article proposes that corporate practices are a dominant influence on the lifestyles that shape patterns of health and disease. Modifying business practices that promote unhealthy lifestyles is a promising strategy for improving population health. Corporations shape lifestyles by producing and promoting healthy or unhealthy products, creating psychological desires and fears, providing health information, influencing social and physical environments, and advancing policies that favor their business goals. Public officials and health professionals can promote health by advocating policies to modify these corporate practices.

The use of negative themes in television food advertising

The ability of food advertising to trigger food consumption and influence social norms relating to food consumption has resulted in increasing attention being given to the prevalence and nature of food advertising. The present study investigated the use of negative themes in food advertisements aired on Australian television to determine the prevalence of depictions of violence/aggression, mocking, nagging, boredom, loneliness, food craving, mood enhancement, and the emotional use of food across 61 days of programming time. The results suggest that advertisers are using negative themes to capture attention and invoke an emotional response in the target audience. Sixteen percent (14,611) of the 93,284 food advertisements contained negative themes, with mood enhancement and food craving being the most commonly depicted negative themes. Advertisements with negative themes were more likely to be for non-core foods and to be aired during children's popular viewing times than at other times. The potential for negative themes in food advertising to promote unhealthy food consumption behaviors among children is likely to be of concern to policy makers. Building on this exploratory study, further research is needed to investigate how nutrition-related decision making is affected by exposure to food advertisements employing negative emotional themes.

Do television food commercials target children in Germany?

Objective

To examine whether the German food industry directs commercials for unhealthy products to children and whether self-administered voluntary restrictions on the promotion of less healthy foods (the EU Pledge) are effective to mitigate this exposure.

Design

By analysing German data from television (TV) channels, advertised products were categorized and food products classified as core foods (healthy) and non-core foods (less healthy). Marketing techniques were documented. Food commercials were furthermore compared with commercials for toy products, and comparisons were made between advertising patterns before and after the EU Pledge.

Setting

Data for ten German TV channels were recorded for two weekdays and two weekend days from 06.00 to 22.00 hours in 2007 and 2008. A second sample containing one weekday and one weekend day of three German TV channels was recorded again in 2010 for comparison in the same time period.

Subjects

In total 16 062 advertisements from 2007–2008 and 2657 from 2010 were analysed.

Results

In 2007–2008 19·9 % of TV commercials were for food products, of which 73 % were for non-core foods, 21 % for core foods and 6 % not classified. In three specified channels widely viewed by children and youth, 14·5 % of commercials were for food products, of which 88·2 % were for non-core foods. Commercials for unhealthy foods were broadcast significantly more often during children's peak viewing and in children's programmes, with a higher use of promotional characters and premiums than found in commercials for non-food products. In 2010, analysis of the three specified channels found that 18·5 % of commercials were for food products, of which 98·2 % were for non-core foods. While the use of premiums decreased compared with other commercials, the use of promotional characters in non-core food commercials increased, especially during children's programmes.

Conclusions

Children in Germany are exposed to large numbers of food commercials. The exposure to commercials for non-core foods and the use of techniques attractive to children are widespread and appear to have remained unaffected by the announcement of the EU Pledge in December 2007. We conclude that the industry's voluntary agreement has failed to fulfil its declared purpose.

Persuasive techniques used in television advertisements to market foods to UK children

The aim of this study was to quantify the nature and extent of use of persuasive marketing techniques in television advertisements (adverts) to promote foods to children. Popular UK commercial television channels broadcasting children's/family viewing were recorded for 2 days (6 am-10 pm) every month in 2008 and recordings were screened for adverts. Eighteen thousand eight hundred and eighty eight adverts were for food and these were coded for peak/non-peak children's viewing time and representation of core (healthy)/non-core (unhealthy)/miscellaneous foods. The analysis assessed use of persuasive appeals, premium offers, promotional characters (brand equity and licensed characters), celebrity endorsers and website promotion in food adverts. Promotional characters, celebrity endorsers and premium offers were used more frequently to promote non-core than core foods, even on dedicated children's channels. Brand equity characters featured on a greater proportion of food adverts than licensed characters. A food brand website was promoted in a third of food adverts (websites are not covered by the statutory regulation on food advertising). This extensive analysis of television adverts demonstrated that the use of persuasive marketing techniques to promote unhealthy foods was extensive in broadcasting popular with children despite regulations. Further studies should incorporate an analysis of the content of websites promoted during food adverts.

A menagerie of promotional characters: promoting food to children through food packaging

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent to which (1) promotional characters are used on food packaging for healthful and less-healthful food and (2) different companies use this persuasive marketing strategy.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional supermarket audit of all food and beverages featuring promotional characters on the packaging.

SETTING

Three Australian supermarket chains.

VARIABLES MEASURED

Frequency of observed products, package size, nutritional composition.

ANALYSIS

Frequencies and bivariate analyses was conducted. Nutritional composition (healthful vs less healthful) was analyzed by character type and company type, that is, whether the company was signed to the Australian Food and Grocery Council Responsible Marketing to Children Initiative (RMCI) signatory.

RESULTS

Products featuring promotional characters on packaging (n = 352) were predominantly less-healthful food and beverages (70%). [corrected]. Nutritional composition varied significantly by character type, with 69% of products with sportspersons, celebrities, or movie tie-ins being healthful, compared with 38% of licensed and 16% [corrected] of company-owned characters. Only 13 of the 75 companies using characters on packaging were RMCI signatory.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Promotional characters are largely used on food packaging to promote less-healthful food to children. Most of these characters are company-owned characters that are not subject to any form of regulation in Australia. Further efforts to limit this form of marketing to children are required.

The extent of food advertising to children on UK television in 2008

OBJECTIVE

To provide the most comprehensive analysis to date of the extent of food advertising on UK television channels popular with young people following regulatory reform of this type of marketing activity.

METHODS

UK television was recorded 06:00-22:00 h for a weekday and a weekend day every month between January and December 2008 for 14 of the most popular commercial channels broadcasting children's/family viewing. Recordings were screened for advertisements, which were coded according to predefined categories including whether they were broadcast in peak/non-peak children's viewing time. Food advertisements were coded as core (healthy)/non-core (unhealthy)/miscellaneous foods.

RESULTS

Food and drinks were the third most heavily advertised product category, and there were a significantly greater proportion of advertisements for food/drinks during peak compared to non-peak children's viewing times. A significantly greater proportion of the advertisements broadcast around soap operas than around children's programmes were for food/drinks. Children's channels broadcast a significantly greater proportion of non-core food advertisements than the family channels. There were significant differences between recording months for the proportion of core/non-core/miscellaneous food advertisements.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite regulation, children in the UK are exposed to more TV advertising for unhealthy than healthy food items, even at peak children's viewing times. There remains scope to strengthen the rules regarding advertising of HFSS foods around programming popular with children and adults alike, where current regulations do not apply. Ongoing, systematic monitoring is essential for evaluation of the effectiveness of regulations designed to reduce children's exposure to HFSS food advertising on television in the UK.

Children, adolescents, obesity, and the media

Obesity has become a worldwide public health problem. Considerable research has shown that the media contribute to the development of child and adolescent obesity, although the exact mechanism remains unclear. Screen time may displace more active pursuits, advertising of junk food and fast food increases children's requests for those particular foods and products, snacking increases while watching TV or movies, and late-night screen time may interfere with getting adequate amounts of sleep, which is a known risk factor for obesity. Sufficient evidence exists to warrant a ban on junk-food or fast-food advertising in children's TV programming. Pediatricians need to ask 2 questions about media use at every well-child or well-adolescent visit: (1) How much screen time is being spent per day? and (2) Is there a TV set or Internet connection in the child's bedroom?

[Dietary interventions and social care for treating obesity in children]

The prevalence of obesity and associated comorbidities among children and adolescents has risen worldwide throughout the past 3 decades. To break this trend, population-based activities in health promotion/prevention and health care are necessary. Studies showed that long-term eating behavior improvement with the cooperation of the patient's family together with child-friendly organization support both individual therapeutic improvements as well as a relevant reduction of obesity prevalence. A significant BMI reduction can be achieved with a normal varied diet, whose energetic value is 300-400 kcal/day below the patient's daily energetic needs, due to the lower consumption of fat and sugar. This requires, however, that the entire family be willing to change their unhealthy eating behaviors (e.g., soft drinks and fast food) and to introduce regular meals into their daily routine. Sensibly, most therapies combine diet therapy with increased physical activity and parental training. Controlled media consumption, active leisure-time behavior, and a structured daily routine are further conditions for successful weight reduction. The high-risk groups for pediatric obesity, i.e., families with migration background and/or low socioeconomic status, have been poorly reached by established programs.