Exposure of French Children and Adolescents to Advertising for Foods High in Fat, Sugar or Salt

Food marketing of products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), including television advertising, is one of the environmental factors considered as a contributor to the obesity epidemic. The main objective of this study was to quantify the exposure of French children and adolescents to television advertisements for HFSS products. TV food advertisements broadcast in 2018 were categorized according to the Nutri-Score of the advertised products. These advertisements, identified according to the days and times of broadcast, were cross-referenced with audience data for 4- to 12-year-olds and 13- to 17-year-olds. More than 50% of food advertisements seen on television by children and adolescents concerned HFSS products, identified as classified as Nutri-Score D and E. In addition, half of advertisements for D and E Nutri-Score products were seen by children and adolescents in the evening during peak viewing hours, when more than 20% of both age groups watched television. On the other hand, during the same viewing hours, the percentage of children and adolescents who watched youth programs, the only programs subject to an advertising ban, was very low (<2%). These results show that the relevance of regulating advertising at times when the television audience of children and adolescents is the highest and not targeted at youth programs, in order to reduce their exposure to advertising for products of low nutritional quality.

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Marketing foods to children and adolescents: licensed characters and other promotions on packaged foods in the supermarket

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980009991339 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 409-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 110

Author(s):

Jennifer L Harris ◽

Marlene B Schwartz ◽

Kelly D Brownell

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Third Party ◽

Food Marketing ◽

Food Category ◽

Media Companies ◽

Packaged Foods ◽

Marketing To Children ◽

Nutrition Standards

AbstractObjectiveTo analyse cross-promotions targeted to children and adolescents on packaging in the supermarket.DesignOn three occasions from 2006 to 2008, researchers purchased all foods in a large supermarket that included a cross-promotion on the package. A total of 397 products were categorized by promotional partner, food category, targeted age group, promotion type, product nutrition, and company policies on marketing to children.ResultsThe number of products with youth-oriented cross-promotions increased by 78 % during the period examined. Overall, 71 % of cross-promotions involved third-party licensed characters and 57 % appealed primarily to children under 12 years of age; however, the use of other forms of promotions increased from 5 % of the total in 2006 to 53 % in 2008, and promotions targeting pre-school and general audiences increased from 23 % to 54 % of the total. Only 18 % of products met accepted nutrition standards for foods sold to youth, and nutritional quality declined during the period examined. Food manufacturers with policies limiting marketing to children represented 65 % of all youth-oriented cross-promotions, their use of cross-promotions increased significantly, and the nutritional quality of their products did not improve. Some media companies did reduce the use of their properties on food promotions.ConclusionsOverall, the supermarket environment worsened due to an increase in cross-promotions targeted to children and adolescents and a decline in the nutritional quality of these products. This analysis failed to find improvements in food marketing to youth and highlights the need to expand current industry self-regulatory pledges.

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The extent and nature of television food advertising to children and adolescents in the Russian Federation

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020000191 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (11) ◽

pp. 1868-1876

Author(s):

AV Kontsevaya ◽

AE Imaeva ◽

YA Balanova ◽

AV Kapustina ◽

J Breda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Russian Federation ◽

Television Advertising ◽

World Health ◽

Food Advertising ◽

Unhealthy Food ◽

Food Advertisements ◽

The Russian Federation ◽

Food And Drink ◽

Advertising To Children

AbstractObjective:To assess the frequency, healthfulness and promotional techniques of television food advertising to children and adolescents in the Russian Federation.Design:A cross-sectional study was conducted to monitor food and beverage television advertising. For the five most popular TV channels among children and adolescents, TV broadcasts were recorded for two weekdays and two weekends (320 h) during March–May 2017. Recordings were screened for advertisements. Food advertisements were categorised by food categories and as either ‘permitted’ or ‘not permitted’ for advertising to children in accordance with World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe Nutrient Profile Model (NPM), and promotional techniques in advertisements were recorded.Results:Overall, 11 678 advertisements were coded. Across all channels, food and drink (19·2 %) were the most frequently advertised product type. The most common food categories advertised were beverages (except juices, milk drinks and energy drinks) (24·1 %); yoghurts and other dairy foods (15 %); and chocolate and confectionery (12·3 %). A majority (64·2 %) of food and drink products advertised should not be permitted for advertising to children according to the NPM. The most frequently used persuasive appeals in the food advertisements were low price (15·4 %), product novelty (11·8 %) and enjoyment (10·0 %).Conclusions:Children and adolescents in the Russian Federation are likely exposed to a substantial number of unhealthy food advertisements. There is a need to consider policies to restrict children’s exposure to unhealthy food advertising on television in the Russian Federation.

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Religion: Interrelationships and Opinions in Children and Adolescents. Interaction between Age and Beliefs

Religions ◽

10.3390/rel12050357 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 357

Author(s):

Rafael López Cordero ◽

Francisca Ruiz Garzón ◽

Lourdes Medina Martínez ◽

María del Carmen Olmos-Gómez

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Current Trend ◽

Age Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Experimental Methodology ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Younger Age ◽

Religious Issue ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Quantitative Descriptive

The current trend of secularization seems to be leading to a gradual withdrawal of religion from public spaces. However, in an increasingly internationalized world, it is becoming more and more important to study the roles of religion and religiosity and their potential in relation to dialogue and social conflicts and tensions. Education is a vital field within which to address this religious issue and create an educational dialogue in order to promote coexistence. By following a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study, based on a quasi-experimental methodology with a social–analytical character, our aim is to assess the existing connections between religion, interrelation and opinion in Spanish children and adolescents. Special attention is paid to the interaction between age and beliefs. We carried out our study with the use of a questionnaire distributed to eleven secondary schools, with students aged between 11 and 16 years old, in three regions of southern Spain (Andalusia, Ceuta, and Melilla) characterized by high religious diversity and multiculturalism. The multivariate analysis carried out in this study identifies the effects of variance on the influence of age and religion, highlighting the interaction between the two. It is observed that the youngest students are those who express their opinions about religion the least, while those belonging to younger age groups and majority religions are those who express a greater religious coexistence, with Muslims externalizing their religious condition the most.

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A Search for Causes of Rising Incidence of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in Children and Adolescents after Chernobyl and Fukushima: Comparison of the Clinical Features and Their Relevance for Treatment and Prognosis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073444 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3444

Author(s):

Valentina Drozd ◽

Vladimir Saenko ◽

Daniel I. Branovan ◽

Kate Brown ◽

Shunichi Yamashita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Cancer ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Differentiated Thyroid Cancer ◽

Age Groups ◽

Distant Metastases ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Radiation Doses ◽

Related Factors ◽

Fukushima Accident ◽

Tumor Stages

The incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is steadily increasing globally. Epidemiologists usually explain this global upsurge as the result of new diagnostic modalities, screening and overdiagnosis as well as results of lifestyle changes including obesity and comorbidity. However, there is evidence that there is a real increase of DTC incidence worldwide in all age groups. Here, we review studies on pediatric DTC after nuclear accidents in Belarus after Chernobyl and Japan after Fukushima as compared to cohorts without radiation exposure of those two countries. According to the Chernobyl data, radiation-induced DTC may be characterized by a lag time of 4–5 years until detection, a higher incidence in boys, in children of youngest age, extrathyroidal extension and distant metastases. Radiation doses to the thyroid were considerably lower by appr. two orders of magnitude in children and adolescents exposed to Fukushima as compared to Chernobyl. In DTC patients detected after Fukushima by population-based screening, most of those characteristics were not reported, which can be taken as proof against the hypothesis, that radiation is the (main) cause of those tumors. However, roughly 80% of the Fukushima cases presented with tumor stages higher than microcarcinomas pT1a and 80% with lymph node metastases pN1. Mortality rates in pediatric DTC patients are generally very low, even at higher tumor stages. However, those cases considered to be clinically relevant should be followed-up carefully after treatment because of the risk of recurrencies which is expected to be not negligible. Considering that thyroid doses from the Fukushima accident were quite small, it makes sense to assess the role of other environmental and lifestyle-related factors in thyroid carcinogenesis. Well-designed studies with assessment of radiation doses from medical procedures and exposure to confounders/modifiers from the environment as e.g., nitrate are required to quantify their combined effect on thyroid cancer risk.

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Secular Trends of Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity in Children and Adolescents from Ukraine

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18063302 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 3302

Author(s):

Katarzyna Dereń ◽

Justyna Wyszyńska ◽

Serhiy Nyankovskyy ◽

Olena Nyankovska ◽

Marta Yatsula ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Age Groups ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Health Organization ◽

Obesity In Children

Overweight and obesity, as well as underweight in children and adolescents, pose a significant public health issue. This study aimed to investigate the secular trend of the incidence of underweight, overweight, and obesity in children from Ukraine in 2013/2014 and 2018/2019. The studies were conducted in randomly selected primary and secondary schools in Ukraine. In total, 13,447 children (6468 boys and 6979 girls) participated in the study in 2013/2014 and 18,144 children (8717 boys and 9427 girls) participated in 2018/2019. Measurements of body weight and height were performed in triplicate. Underweight, overweight, and obesity were diagnosed according to the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the group of girls, a significant difference between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019 measurements was found only among 7-year-olds. The percentage of girls at this age exceeding the body mass index (BMI) norm was lower in the 2018/2019 study. In boys, a significant difference was also found in 7-year-olds, and, as in girls, a lower share of overweight and obesity was found in 2018/2019. But for the ages of 12, 13, and 15, the significant differences had a different character—more overweight or obese boys were found in the 2018/2019 study. The proportion of underweight children was similar for the majority of age groups in both genders and did not differ in a statistically significant way.

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Caring for Overweight Children and Adolescents at a Reference Clinic in Nutrology: Habits and Attendance

International Journal of Nutrology ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1728678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (01) ◽

pp. 006-010

Author(s):

Valeria Moro ◽

Luiz Antonio Del Ciampo

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Soft Drinks ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Dropout Rates ◽

Overweight Children ◽

Obesity Epidemic ◽

Study Population ◽

Municipal Health

Abstract Introduction The global obesity epidemic has mobilized health services to offer care at all levels, with reference outpatient clinics playing a prominent role in cases of greater complexity. Objectives The present study aimed to identify soft drinks consumption and physical activity habits among children and adolescents diagnosed with overweight and obesity during the first visit at a secondary level nutrology outpatient clinic, and to verify attendance at follow-up visits in a 2-year period from the first visit. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective, descriptive study based on data collection from medical records of overweighted or obese patients receiving first care at the Nutrology Clinic of the Municipal Health Secretariat from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. The study population included children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18 years old cared for from January 2, 2013 to December 30, 2017. Age, weight, height, soft drinks consumption, physical activity, and attendance in scheduled follow-up visits during a 2-year period were analyzed. Results During the study period, 316 patients were registered, including 302 (95.5%) diagnosed with obesity. Of these, 112 (35.4%) were children and 204 (64.6%) were adolescents. Only 2.0% of the children and adolescents did not consume soft drinks, while 23.5 and 26.2% of the children and adolescents, respectively, consumed them daily. Physical inactivity was reported by 31.8% of the children and by 35.8% of the adolescents. Among those who practiced some type of physical activity, 81.3% of the children and 78.2% of the adolescents did not meet the recommendation of moderate to vigorous activity for 60 minutes per day. Dropout rates within the 1st year were of 41.9% for children and of 34.3% for adolescents, increasing to 76.9% and 73.8%, respectively, within the 2nd year. Conclusion There was a high consumption of soft drinks and low adherence to physical activity among patients who started outpatient follow-up. A small adherence to the follow-up program was also identified, with high dropout rates within the 2-year period following the first visit.

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Blood pressure and resting heart rate in 3-17-year-olds in Germany in 2003–2006 and 2014–2017

Journal of Human Hypertension ◽

10.1038/s41371-021-00535-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Giselle Sarganas ◽

Anja Schienkiewitz ◽

Jonas D. Finger ◽

Hannelore K. Neuhauser

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Selection Rule ◽

Age Groups ◽

Resting Heart Rate ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

National Examination ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Analysis Measurement

AbstractTo track blood pressure (BP) and resting heart rate (RHR) in children and adolescents is important due to its associations with cardiovascular outcomes in the adulthood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine BP and RHR over a decade among children and adolescents living in Germany using national examination data. Cross-sectional data from 3- to 17-year-old national survey participants (KiGGS 2003–06, n = 14,701; KiGGS 2014–17, n = 3509) including standardized oscillometric BP and RHR were used for age- and sex-standardized analysis. Measurement protocols were identical with the exception of the cuff selection rule, which was accounted for in the analyses. Different BP and RHR trends were observed according to age-groups. In 3- to 6-year-olds adjusted mean SBP and DBP were significantly higher in 2014–2017 compared to 2003–2006 (+2.4 and +1.9 mm Hg, respectively), while RHR was statistically significantly lower by −3.8 bpm. No significant changes in BP or in RHR were observed in 7- to 10-year-olds over time. In 11- to 13-year-olds as well as in 14- to 17-year-olds lower BP has been observed (SBP −2.4 and −3.2 mm Hg, respectively, and DBP −1.8 and −1.7 mm Hg), while RHR was significantly higher (+2.7 and +3.7 bpm). BP trends did not parallel RHR trends. The downward BP trend in adolescents seemed to follow decreasing adult BP trends in middle and high-income countries. The increase in BP in younger children needs confirmation from other studies as well as further investigation. In school-aged children and adolescents, the increased RHR trend may indicate decreased physical fitness.

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Exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising during the school commute in Australia

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2021-217032 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jech-2021-217032

Author(s):

Gina Trapp ◽

Paula Hooper ◽

Lukar E Thornton ◽

Kelly Kennington ◽

Ainslie Sartori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Food Marketing ◽

Unhealthy Food ◽

Outdoor Advertising ◽

Content Type ◽

Marketing Environment ◽

Dietary Behaviours ◽

Food Advertisements ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

High Level

BackgroundFood marketing exposure has the potential to influence children’s dietary behaviours and health status, however, few studies have identified how ‘obesogenic’ the outdoor food marketing environment is along public transport (bus and/or train) or walking routes that children take to school.MethodsAudits of all outdoor advertisements present along likely train, bus and walking routes to 24 secondary schools (ie, 3 routes per school, 72 routes total) were conducted in Perth, Western Australia (WA). The size, content, type and setting of each advertisement were recorded in accordance with the International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support protocol for monitoring outdoor advertising.ResultsOf the 4016 total advertisements observed, almost half were for food (n=1754, 44%) and of these, 80% (n=1397) advertised discretionary (non-core) foods, and 8% (n=138) advertised healthy (core) foods. On average, commuting to school by train, bus and walking exposed Perth schoolchildren to 37.1, 22 and 4.5 discretionary (non-core) food ads per one-way trip to school, respectively.ConclusionsChildren living in Perth, WA experience a high level of exposure to unhealthy outdoor food advertisements during the school commute. Policies which restrict the placement and content of outdoor advertising, could be a useful strategy in the fight against childhood obesity.

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Firearm Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.89.4.788 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 89 (4) ◽

pp. 788-790

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Age Groups ◽

Unintentional Injury ◽

The United States ◽

Male Adolescents ◽

Firearm Injuries ◽

Group 2 ◽

Developed Nations

In the United States approximately 30 000 people die from firearm injuries each year. Many more are wounded. In the mid 1980s, more than 3000 of the dead were children and adolescents aged 1 to 19 years.1 In 1989 nearly 4000 firearm deaths were among children 1 to 19 years of age, accounting for 12% of all deaths in that age group.2 All of these deaths or injuries affect other children because the victims who are killed or wounded are frequently relatives, neighbors, or friends. Comparison data for childhood age groups demonstrate that in 1987, 203 children aged 1 to 9 years, 484 children aged 10 to 14 years, and 2705 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years died as a result of firearm injuries.1 Firearm deaths include unintentional injuries, homicides, and suicides. Among the 1- to 9-year-olds, half of the deaths were homicides and half were unintentional. Among the 10- to 14-year-olds, one third of the deaths were homicides, one third were suicides, and one third were unintentional. Among the 15- to 19-year-olds, 48% were homicides, 42% were suicides, and 8% were unintentional.1 Firearm homicides are the leading cause of death for some US subpopulations, such as urban black male adolescents and young adults.3 Table 1 indicates how firearms contributed to the deaths of children and adolescents (homicides, suicides, and all causes) in 1987. Table 2 illustrates the unusual scale of firearm violence affecting young people in the United States compared with other developed nations.4 Firearm injuries are the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury deaths to children younger than 15 years of age in the US.5

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Executive Functions: Influence of Sex, Age and Its Relationship With Intelligence

Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto) ◽

10.1590/1982-43272562201512 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 (62) ◽

pp. 383-392

Author(s):

Larissa de Oliveira e Ferreira ◽

Daniela Sacramento Zanini ◽

Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Perceptual Organization ◽

Age Groups ◽

Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽

Discriminative Power ◽

Speed Of Processing ◽

Intelligence Scale ◽

Tower Of Hanoi

AbstractThe Tower of Hanoi is a tool used to evaluate executive functions. However, few studies describe what functions are evaluated in this test. This study investigates the executive functions, evaluated by the Tower of Hanoi (ToH), and the influence of gender, age and its relationship with intelligence. We evaluated 55 children and adolescents, between the ages of ten and 16, without diagnosed neuropsychiatric disorders. The results showed that the performance and time in to complete the Tower of Hanoi have no discriminative power when comparing age groups and sex; there was also no significant correlation found between the ToH and the execution quotient of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition (WISC III), perceptual organization and the speed of processing. Only the subtest coding were positively related to the ToH, demonstrating that these instruments may be measuring related aspects of intelligence and executive functions, namely intelligence and working memory.

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