Abstract
In Spain, 40% of children are overweight or obese. Television advertising is a widely acknowledged factor contributing to high-calorie food intake. This study longitudinally correlates some variables involved in childhood obesity prevention strategies in Spain. A mixed-methods approach was used. A quantitative analysis of audience data was conducted to determine the advertising campaigns most viewed by Spanish children from 2016 to 2018. The Nutri-score system was applied to determine the nutritional quality of the food advertised. A content analysis and a study of the discursive strategies used as an advertising ploy was undertaken. The results were examined in relation to the regulatory framework of the Spanish PAOS Code for the co-regulation of food advertising aimed at children. The study shows that Spanish advertising aimed at children mostly advertises very low nutritional value products. Moreover, these campaigns violate the PAOS Code in terms of the use of language in relation to the product, its benefits, and the appearance of popular characters. Our findings suggest a direct association between low nutritional value food ads and discursive strategies based on the intangible and extrinsic characteristics of these products. There remains the need for stricter legislation that takes into consideration the nutritional value of advertised foods and the language used in their hedonistic advertising.
Highlights
Almost 40% of Spanish children are obese or overweight
The analysis focuses on four research questions: First, what were the food ads most viewed by children aged 4 to 12 years old between 2016 and 2018, regardless of the time slot and network on which they were seen? Second, what was the nutritional quality of the advertised products most viewed by this target? Third, what kind of discourse was used in those campaigns? And were there popular characters in those ads? The results obtained were compared with the regulatory framework defined by the PAOS Code in order to determine the effectiveness of the regulations, especially among those advertisers who have publicly stated their adherence to the code
The results revealed that from the 300 food campaigns most viewed by Spanish children aged 4 to 12 years between 2016 and 2018, only 8% corresponded to products with a high nutritional value
Summary
Almost 40% of Spanish children are obese or overweight. According to the latest report from theWorld Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of obesity among this group has grown alarmingly over the last decade in Spain, which currently has the highest rate of childhood obesity in Europe [1].Among the causes of this increase, several studies point to the existence of an obesogenic context, which is the result of the relationship between television (TV) viewing and high-calorie food intake [2,3,4,5,6,7].Despite the rise of new media and communication platforms, TV remains the most viewed communication media by children in Spain. Almost 40% of Spanish children are obese or overweight. According to the latest report from the. Among the causes of this increase, several studies point to the existence of an obesogenic context, which is the result of the relationship between television (TV) viewing and high-calorie food intake [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Despite the rise of new media and communication platforms, TV remains the most viewed communication media by children in Spain. According to data from the Spanish Media Research. TV is the channel most widely used by advertisers to market food and beverages since it is highly effective among children, especially at the early ages [9,10]
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