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

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.

scholarly journals Mapping of outdoor food and beverage advertising around primary and secondary schools in Kampala city, Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oumy Erica Wie Dia ◽  
Anne Lene Løvhaug ◽  
Peter Milton Rukundo ◽  
Liv Elin Torheim
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Alcoholic Beverages ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Outdoor Advertising ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Kampala City

Abstract Background Marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages is recognized as a contributing factor to the global increase in overweight and obesity, particularly among children. Such marketing negatively affects children’s dietary preferences, food choices, purchasing requests, and consumption patterns. Given that little is known about food marketing in Africa, including in Uganda, monitoring children’s exposure to food marketing is essential to generate evidence on the problem and develop meaningful policy responses. The aim of this study was to describe the food and beverage marketing environment surrounding schools in urban and peri-urban areas of Kampala city. Methods Outdoor advertising around 25 randomly sampled primary and secondary schools within a radius of 250 m of each school was mapped. Information on size, setting, type, and position of the advertisements and the healthiness of the foods and beverages promoted was collected using the INFORMAS Outdoor Advertising Protocol. The occurrence of advertising was described using frequencies, median, and density per 100m2. Results A total of 1034 branded advertisements were identified around the schools. Of these, 86% featured unhealthy products, 7% healthy products, and 7% miscellaneous products. The most advertised products were sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic beverages (51 and 23%, respectively). Schools in the urban area were surrounded by more unhealthy ads than those in the peri-urban areas (median of 45 vs 24 advertisements). Conclusion The widespread extent of unhealthy food and beverage advertisements around primary and secondary schools highlights the need for food marketing regulation in Uganda, in line with the World Health Organization’s recommendations, to ensure that young people are protected from unhealthy food marketing.

scholarly journals Mapping of Outdoor Food and Beverage Advertising Around Primary and Secondary Schools in Kampala City, Uganda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oumy Erica Dia ◽  
Anne Løvhaug ◽  
Peter Rukundo ◽  
Liv Torheim
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Alcoholic Beverages ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Outdoor Advertising ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Kampala City

Abstract Background: Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. Among the contributing factors for this increase is the marketing of unhealthy food products, which affects children’s dietary preferences, food choices, purchasing requests, and consumption patterns. Given that little is known about food marketing in Africa, including in Uganda, monitoring children’s exposure to food marketing is essential to generate evidence on the problem and develop meaningful policy responses. The aim of this study was to describe the food and beverage marketing environment surrounding schools in urban and peri-urban areas of Kampala city. Methods: Outdoor advertising around 25 randomly sampled primary- and secondary schools within a radius of 250 meters of each school was mapped. Information on size, setting, type, and position of the advertisements and the healthiness of the food and beverage promoted was collected using the INFORMAS Outdoor Advertising Protocol. The occurrence of advertising was described using frequencies, median, and density per 100m2. Results: A total of 1,034 branded advertisements was identified around the schools. Of these, 86% featured unhealthy products, 8% healthy, and 6 % miscellaneous. The most advertised products were sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic beverages (51% and 23%, respectively). Schools in the urban area were surrounded by more unhealthy ads than those in the peri-urban areas (median of 45 vs 24 ads). Conclusion: The considerable extent of unhealthy food and beverage advertisements around primary and secondary schools highlights the need for food marketing regulation in Uganda, in line with the World Health Organization’ recommendations, to ensure that young people are protected from unhealthy food marketing messages.

scholarly journals An analysis of food and beverage advertising on bus shelters in a deprived area of Northern England

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Finlay ◽  
Scott Lloyd ◽  
Amelia Lake ◽  
Thomas Armstrong ◽  
Mark Fishpool ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Deprivation Level ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Television Programming ◽  
Nutrient Profile ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Almost All

Objective: To quantify the extent of food and beverage advertising on bus shelters in a deprived area of the UK that has no restrictions on this activity, to identify the healthfulness of advertised products and the creative strategies used and extent of appeal to young people, and to identify differences by level of deprivation.Design: Images of all bus shelter advertisements across the two unitary authorities were collected via in person photography (in 2019) and verified using Google Street View (photos recorded in 2018). All advertisements were coded according to advert type. Food and beverage advertisements were coded as brand or product ads and into one of seventeen food categories. These items were classified as healthy/less healthy using the UK Nutrient Profile Model. The deprivation level of the ad location was identified using the UK Index of Multiple Deprivation.Setting: This study took place in South Teesside, specifically the unitary authorities of Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland.Participants: There are no participants in this study.Results: 832 advertisements were identified in total, almost half (48.9%) of which were for foods or beverages. Of the food and beverage adverts, 35.1% were classed as less healthy. Close to a quarter (22.2%) of food advertisements used creative strategies, almost all of these were competitions. Food advertisements were found to be of appeal to children under 12 years (47.3%) and adolescents, 13-17 years (70.5%). Most bus shelters, and therefore most food advertising, was in the most deprived area but not meaningful differences in advertising was found by level of deprivation.Conclusions: Food advertising is extensive on bus shelters in the UK, and a substantial proportion of this advertising is classified as less healthy and would not be permitted to be advertised around television programming for children. Bus shelter advertising should be considered part of the UK policy deliberations around restricting less healthy food marketing exposure.

scholarly journals Development of a Teen-Informed Coding Tool to Measure the Power of Food Advertisements

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4258
Author(s):  
Drew D. Bowman ◽  
Leia M. Minaker ◽  
Bonnie J. K. Simpson ◽  
Jason A. Gilliland
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Measurement ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Healthy Communities ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
Retail Food ◽  
Method Approach

The food-related information environment, comprised of food and beverage advertising within one’s surroundings, is a growing concern for adolescent health given that food marketing disproportionately targets adolescents. Despite strong public interest concerning the effects of food marketing on child health, there is limited evidence focused on outdoor food advertising in relation to teenage diets, food purchasing, and perceptions. Further, limited research has considered both the exposure to and influence of such advertisements. This study used a novel multi-method approach to identify and quantify the features of outdoor food and beverage advertisements that are most effective at drawing teenagers into retail food establishments. An environmental audit of outdoor advertisements and consultations with youth were used to: (1) identify teen-directed food marketing techniques; (2) validate and weigh the power of individual advertising elements; and, (3) develop a teen-informed coding tool to measure the power of food-related advertisements. Results indicate that marketing power is a function of the presence and size of teen-directed advertisement features, and the relative nature of each feature is an important consideration. This study offers a quantitative measurement tool for food environment research and urges policymakers to consider teen-directed marketing when creating healthy communities.

Food Advertising on Television Before and After a National Unhealthy Food Marketing Regulation in Chile, 2016–2017

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (7) ◽  
pp. 1054-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Correa ◽  
Marcela Reyes ◽  
Lindsey Smith Taillie ◽  
Camila Corvalán ◽  
Francesca R. Dillman Carpentier
Keyword(s):  
Food Advertising ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Saturated Fats ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Before And After

Objectives. To study changes in food advertising on television after Chile’s food marketing restriction was implemented in June 2016. Methods. Food advertisements shown between 6 am and 12 am on the 4 primary broadcast and 4 cable channels with the largest Chilean youth audiences during 2 random weeks in April and May 2016 and 2017 were analyzed for product nutrition and child-directed marketing. Results. The percentage of ads for foods high in energy, saturated fats, sugars, or sodium (HEFSS) decreased from 41.9% before the regulation to 14.8% after the regulation (P < .001). This decrease occurred in programs intended for children (from 49.7% to 12.7%; P < .001) as well as general audiences (from 38.5% to 15.7%; P < .001). The largest declines were seen for sodas, desserts, breakfast cereals and industrialized fruit- and vegetable-flavored drinks. Fewer HEFSS ads featured child-directed content (a decrease from 44.0% to 12.0%; P < .001), and the remaining child-directed HEFSS ads primarily aired on internationally owned cable channels. Conclusions. The significant postregulation decrease in the prevalence of HEFSS television ads suggests that children in Chile are now less exposed to unhealthy food advertising. However, television originating from national and international outlets should still be monitored for compliance.

scholarly journals Are the Italian Children Exposed to Advertisements of Nutritionally Appropriate Foods?

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1632
Author(s):  
Daniele Nucci ◽  
Filippo Rabica ◽  
Giulia Dallagiacoma ◽  
Cristina Fatigoni ◽  
Vincenza Gianfredi
Keyword(s):  
Eating Habits ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
Unhealthy Eating ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Tv Commercials ◽  
Italian Children ◽  
Tv Broadcasting

Unhealthy eating habits are one of the main risk factors for overweight/obesity, and food marketing plays a major role in their development. The aim of this study was to monitor the amount and the characteristics of food marketing directed to Italian children broadcasted on television (TV). The WHO tool to assess food and beverage multimedia marketing aimed at children was used to analyze TV recordings. Type of product branded, viewing time, channel’s target, and broadcasting company were the exposure variables analyzed. The power of persuasive techniques was also assessed. Food products were categorized as either core or non-core products on the basis of their nutritional profile. A total of 320 h of TV broadcasting was analyzed, including 51.7 h of commercials. Food and beverages were the second most frequently advertised products, with an average of 6 food advertisements per hour during peak viewing time. A total of 23.8% of food advertisements were recorded during the time slot of 3:00 p.m. Considering food and beverage commercials, “humor” was the most frequently used primary persuasive technique, while the “image of the product/packaging” was the most commonly used secondary persuasive technique. Products specifically targeted to children were 94.3% non-core. Our findings indicate that core foods are highly underrepresented in TV commercials, especially during children TV programs and peak viewing time.

scholarly journals Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Television among Canadian Adolescents, 2011 to 2016

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine D Czoli ◽  
Elise Pauzé ◽  
Monique Potvin Kent
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
Sugary Drinks ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Adolescent Exposure ◽  
Do So

Adolescents represent a key audience for food advertisers, however there is little evidence of adolescent exposure to food marketing in Canada. This study examined trends in Canadian adolescents’ exposure to food advertising on television. To do so, data on 19 food categories were licensed from Nielsen Media Research for May 2011, 2013, and 2016 for the broadcasting market of Toronto, Canada. The average number of advertisements viewed by adolescents aged 12–17 years on 31 television stations during the month of May each year was estimated using television ratings data. Findings revealed that between May 2011 and May 2016, the total number of food advertisements aired on all television stations increased by 4%, while adolescents’ average exposure to food advertising decreased by 31%, going from 221 ads in May 2011 to 154 in May 2016. In May 2016, the advertising of fast food and sugary drinks dominated, relative to other categories, accounting for 42% and 11% of all exposures, respectively. The findings demonstrate a declining trend in exposure to television food advertising among Canadian adolescents, which may be due to shifts in media consumption. These data may serve as a benchmark for monitoring and evaluating future food marketing policies in Canada.

scholarly journals How Food Marketing on Instagram Shapes Adolescents’ Food Preferences: Online Randomized Trial

10.2196/28689 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. e28689
Author(s):  
Marie Bragg ◽  
Samina Lutfeali ◽  
Tenay Greene ◽  
Jessica Osterman ◽  
Madeline Dalton
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Advertising ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
The Other ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Mere Presence ◽  
Children’S Exposure

Background Worldwide obesity rates have prompted 16 countries to enact policies to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing, but few policies address online advertising practices or protect adolescents from being targeted. Given adolescents spend so much time online, it is critical to understand how persuasive Instagram food advertisements (ads) are compared with traditional food ads. To strengthen online food marketing policies, more evidence is needed on whether social media ads are more persuasive than other types of ads in shaping adolescents’ preferences. Objective This study examined whether adolescents could identify food companies’ Instagram posts as ads, and the extent to which Instagram versus traditional food ads shape adolescents’ preferences. Methods In Part 1, participants aged 13-17 years (N=832) viewed 8 pairs of ads and were asked to identify which ads originated from Instagram. One ad in each pair was selected from traditional sources (eg, print; online banner ad), and the other ad was selected from Instagram, but we removed the Instagram frame—which includes the logo, comments, and “likes.” In Part 2, participants were randomized to rate food ads that ostensibly originated from (1) Instagram (ie, we photoshopped the Instagram frame onto ads); or (2) traditional sources. Unbeknownst to participants, half of the ads in their condition originated from Instagram and half originated from traditional sources. Results In Part 1, adolescents performed worse than chance when asked to identify Instagram ads (P<.001). In Part 2, there were no differences on 4 of 5 outcomes in the “labeled ad condition.” In the “unlabeled ad condition,” however, they preferred Instagram ads to traditional ads on 3 of 5 outcomes (ie, trendiness, P=.001; artistic appeal, P=.001; likeability, P=.001). Conclusions Adolescents incorrectly identified traditional ads as Instagram posts, suggesting the artistic appearance of social media ads may not be perceived as marketing. Further, the mere presence of Instagram features caused adolescents to rate food ads more positively than ads without Instagram features.

scholarly journals Overabundance of unhealthy food advertising targeted to children on Guatemalan television

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1331-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Lucia Cosenza-Quintana ◽  
Analí Morales-Juárez ◽  
Manuel Ramirez-Zea ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere ◽  
Maria F Kroker-Lobos
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Nutrient Profile ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Marketing To Children ◽  
First Time

Abstract To assess, for the first time, the extent (by hour channel) and nature (e.g. persuasive marketing techniques (PMT) and health-related claims) of unhealthy food advertisements (ads) targeted at children (3–11 years) on the six most-watched television (TV) channels in Guatemala. We recorded 864 h of video on the six most popular channels featuring children’s programmes. We classified food and beverage ads as permitted or non-permitted for marketing to children, according to the 2015 World Health Organisation (WHO) nutrient profile. Furthermore, we also analysed PMT (i.e. premium offers, promotional characters, brand benefit claims) and health-related claims. Most food ads (85%) were non-permitted to be marketed to children. Non-permitted food ads were six times more likely, either on weekdays or weekends, for all programme and channel categories compared with permitted food ads. There was no difference in the frequency of non-permitted food ads between peak and non-peak hours, weekend and weekdays or children and non-children programmes. PMT and health-related claims were present in all food ads (5.3 ± 1.9 techniques/claims per ad). There is a need to regulate food ads on TV channels featuring children’s programmes in Guatemala as a result of a high frequency of non-permitted food ads and extensive use of PMT together with health-related claims.

AdHealth: a feasibility study to measure digital food marketing to adolescents through Facebook

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
B Kidd ◽  
S Mackay ◽  
B Swinburn ◽  
C Lutteroth ◽  
S Vandevijvere
Keyword(s):  
Food Marketing ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Object Model ◽  
Tree Representation ◽  
Nutrient Profile ◽  
Browser Extension ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Objective: To test the feasibility of a browser extension to estimate the exposure of adolescents to (un)healthy food and beverage advertisements on Facebook and the persuasive techniques used to market these foods and beverages. Design: A Chrome browser extension (AdHealth) was developed to automatically collect advertisements seen by participants on their personal Facebook accounts. Information was extracted and sent to a web server by parsing the Document Object Model tree representation of Facebook web pages. Key information retrieved included the advertisement type seen and duration of each ad sighting. The WHO-Europe Nutrient Profile Model was used to classify the healthiness of products advertised as permitted (healthy) or not permitted (unhealthy) to be advertised to children. Setting: Auckland, New Zealand. Participants: Thirty-four Facebook users aged 16–18 years. Results: The browser extension retrieved 4973 advertisements from thirty-four participants, of which 204 (4 %) were food-related, accounting for 1·1 % of the exposure duration. Of those food advertisements, 98 % were classified as not permitted, and 33·7 and 31·9 %, respectively, of those featured promotional characters or premium offers. The mean rate of exposure to not permitted food was 4·8 (sd = 2·5) advertisements per hour spent on Facebook. Conclusions: Using a Chrome extension to monitor exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertisements showed that the vast majority of advertisements were for unhealthy products, despite numerous challenges to implementation. Further efforts are needed to develop tools for use across other social media platforms and mobile devices, and policies to protect young people from digital food advertising.

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