Abstract
Given the high rates of childhood obesity, assessing the nutritional content of food and beverage products in television (TV) advertisements to which children are exposed is important. TV ratings data for children 2-5 and 6-11 years of age were used to examine the nutritional content of food and beverage products in advertisements seen by children on all programming and children's programming (≥35% child-audience share). Nutritional content was assessed based on the federal Interagency Working Group (IWG) recommended nutrients to limit (NTL), including saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and sodium. A total of 46.2% of 2- to 5-year-olds' and 43.5% of 6- to 11-year-olds' total exposure to food and beverage TV advertising was for ads seen on children's programming. Among children 2-5 and 6-11 years, respectively, 84.1 and 84.4% of ads seen on all programming and 95.8 and 97.3% seen on children's programming were for products high in NTL, and 97.8 and 98.1% of Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) company-member ads seen on children's programming were for products high in NTL, compared to 80.5 and 89.9% of non-CFBAI product ads. Most food and beverage products in TV ads seen by children do not meet the IWG nutrition recommendations and less than one half of such ads are covered by self-regulation. Products advertised on children's versus general-audience programming and by CFBAI- versus non-CFBAI-member companies are particularly of low nutritional quality, suggesting that self-regulation has not successfully protected children from exposure to advertising for unhealthy foods and that continued monitoring is required.
Highlights
A pproximately 40% of US children’s total energy intake comes in the form of empty calories, with 20% from solid fat and 18% from added sugars.[1]
This study used the proposed Interagency Working Group (IWG) nutrition recommendations for nutrients to limit (NTL) in products advertised to children to examine the nutritional content of food and beverage products in advertisements seen by children on all TV programming and in the subset of ads seen on children’s programming with 35% or greater childaudience share
This study provided the first comprehensive examination of the nutritional content of food and beverage products in TV advertisements based on IWG recommended nutrition principles for advertising to children with evidence for children’s exposure from all programming and exposure from children’s programming
Summary
A pproximately 40% of US children’s total energy intake comes in the form of empty calories, with 20% from solid fat and 18% from added sugars.[1]. The Institute of Medicine 2006 Report[7] on Food Marketing to Children and Youth and other recent evidence[8,9] reported that television (TV) advertising influences children’s food and beverage preferences, purchase requests, and consumption and bodyweight outcomes, highlighting the need to address the nutritional content of food and beverage products in advertising seen by, or directed at, children. Given the high rates of childhood obesity, assessing the nutritional content of food and beverage products in television (TV) advertisements to which children are exposed is important
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