Endorsers' presence in regulation and endorsements in dietary supplements' advertising on Spanish radio

Health-Related Content of TV and Radio Advertising of Dietary Supplements—Analysis of Legal Aspects after Introduction of Self-Regulation for Advertising of These Products in Poland

Dietary supplements may have beneficial value but, by definition, they have no therapeutic effect. However, their labeling and especially the advertisements in the media, often make ungrounded health claims. The aim of the study was to analyze the content of audio–visual advertisements of dietary supplements for health and legal aspects in the context of the European Law and the 1 January 2020 Polish self-regulation between TV broadcasting companies and supplement manufacturers. Supplement advertisements broadcast across six TV and radio stations from 9–15 March 2020 were analyzed. Most of the analyzed advertisements complied with the legal requirements and included terms such as ‘supports’ or ‘facilitates’ body function, which are less definite in nature. Almost 30% of the advertised supplements made unproven claims on their effectiveness in various health situations, e.g., effective weight loss, thus assuring the addressee about the beneficial effect of dietary supplements in a given health context. Agreement on the rules and regulations governing supplement advertising resulted in a noticeable improvement in advertisement content, which will hopefully raise consumer awareness about the absence of therapeutic properties of dietary supplements.

A Content Analysis of Video Advertisements for Dietary Supplements in Japan

Dietary supplements are widely advertised and the market is expanding worldwide. Research suggests that dietary supplement advertising may lead consumers to make inappropriate health-related decisions, to express behaviors such as overdosing, and to neglect healthy lifestyle behaviors. We conducted a content analysis of video advertisements for dietary supplements and described the content of advertisements with high numbers and frequent views. We analyzed 82 video advertisements on YouTube that promoted fat-reduction effects. We extracted 22 themes and classified them into 10 categories. The categories with the highest numbers of advertisements were “Exemption” (i.e., consuming the product frees the audience from refraining from binge eating) (20 ads, 24.4%) and “Health Concerns” (i.e., the product intake solves the health concerns of the audience) (19 ads, 23.2%). These advertisements may stimulate negative audience attitudes toward appropriate health behaviors. The category with the most frequent views was “Lifestyle” (i.e., adding product intake to a healthy lifestyle) (3,035,298 views). “Lifestyle” advertisements portray physical activity in a positive light and may promote appropriate health behaviors in the audience. We discuss the possible effects of the advertisements on audiences and consider issues for future research and practice.

What Do Polish Parents and Caregivers Think ofDietary Supplements for Children Aged 3-12?

Background: The aim of this study was to specify the amounts and the types of dietary supplements (DS) taken by children and define the attitudes of caregivers towards DS and towards administering them to children aged 3–12. An analysis of the reasons for using DSs, and of expected benefits and awareness of health risks associated with administering DSs, was conducted. Methods: The online questionnaire collected information on sociodemographic characteristics and use of dietary supplements. Multiple analyses were used to describe the relationship between demographic factors and dietary supplement intake. In particular cases, strength and correlation were also calculated. Results: In total, 54.89% of participants were administering dietary supplements to children at the time of completing the questionnaire—a weak linear relationship (Cramer’s V = 0.21) between child’s age and the child taking dietary supplements. Respondents for whom DSs are equivalents of medicines tend not to see that dietary supplements may cause side-effects and interact. Conclusions: Parents who administer dietary supplements to children show a tendency to have more trust in this type of product than the people who do not do so. It was also confirmed that the people who take dietary supplements transfer their behavioral patterns by also administering them to their children.