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

Daniele Nucci,Filippo Rabica,Cristina Fatigoni,Giulia Dallagiacoma,Vincenza Gianfredi

doi:10.3390/foods9111632

Abstract

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.

Highlights

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 40 million young children aged under 5 and 131 million of children aged 5–9 are either overweight or obese [1,2]
Results are in line with the recent advertisements, showing that Italian children areThese largely exposed to food andmost beverage available data showing that in
It was possible to estimate the exposure to TV non-core products advertisements of Italian children—assuming that children watch TV during peak viewing time and, as recommended [48], do not exceed 2 h of television per day, we found that they would be exposed to 4380 food and beverage commercials in a year, which would result in viewing 77 non-core products per week, and 4015 non-core products per year

Summary

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 40 million young children aged under 5 and 131 million of children aged 5–9 are either overweight or obese [1,2]. This alarming phenomenon is stably increasing over time, mainly in high-income countries. Modern cities are full of the so-called “obesogenic environment” risk factors, mainly characterized by low chances of practicing physical activity and easy access to fast food and highly processed foods, leading to an intake of food that is high in calories and poor in nutrients with a reduced energy expenditure [10]

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