Televised food advertising targeting children: An updated content analysis considering age & USDHHS nutritional guidelines

Abstract

Responding to the public concern about the prevalence of televised food advertising affecting childhood obesity, government agencies and public institutions have made several efforts that include industry self-regulation and launching new nutritional guides (We Can!). To determine whether these efforts are empirically effective, this content analytic study analyzed 1,762 food advertisements from three cable networks primarily targeting children (Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel). Results show that a substantial number of unhealthy food advertisements targeting children remain and have not decreased compared to previous studies, meaning that advertisers are unlikely to follow industry self-regulations and government nutritional guidelines. These findings offer several theoretical and practical implications. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.