Health and Nutrition Messages in Food Advertisements: A Comparative Content Analysis of Young and Mature Australian Women's Magazines

Abstract

Surveys investigating adults’ sources of nutrition information have consistently found magazines to be nominated most frequently, particularly among women. A content analysis was undertaken to compare the advertisements in two magazines with a target audience of young women with those in four magazines oriented towards mature women. Seventy-two magazine issues having a 1992 publication date were sampled, and all food advertisements were coded. In the mature women's magazines, 47% of advertisements were for core (basic) food groups, and all five core food groups were addressed. Food advertisements in the young women's magazines addressed a narrower range of foods, promoted core foods at a significantly lower rate (12% of advertisements), and included only three of the core food groups. The noncore foods most commonly advertised were of low nutrient density and consisted mainly of alcohol, supplements, and cocoa products. Food advertising in young women's magazines frequently used images of lifestyle success and failed to emphasize nutrition or health information messages or dietary recommendations.There is a need to more fully explore attitudes to food and food purchasing behavior in young women and to develop nutrition education strategies to counter the advertising of predominantly nonmeal-type foods with low nutrient density in young women's magazines.