The Health Halo Trend in UK Television Food Advertising Viewed by Children: The Rise of Implicit and Explicit Health Messaging in the Promotion of Unhealthy Foods.

Rosa Whalen,Jason Halford,Simon Child,Emma Boyland,Joanne Harrold

doi:10.3390/ijerph15030560

Abstract

Monitoring the creative content within food marketing to children is strongly advocated by public health authorities, but few studies address the prevalence of health-related messaging in television adverts. Food and beverage adverts (n = 18,888 in 2008, n = 6664 in 2010) from UK television channels popular with children were coded and analyzed. Physical-activity depiction displayed an 18.8 percentage point increase from 2008 (4.4%) to 2010 (23.2%). Of the food adverts containing physical-activity depiction in 2010, 81.1% were for non-core foods. The appearance of health claims in food adverts in 2010 increased 4.1 percentage points from 2008 levels (20.7% to 24.8%) where the majority of food adverts featuring health and nutrition claims were for non-core foods (58.3%). Health-related (e.g., health/nutrition, weight loss/diet) appeals were used in 17.1% of food adverts during peak child-viewing times, rising to 33.0% of adverts shown on dedicated children’s channels in 2010. Implicit (physical activity) and explicit (health claims) health messages are increasingly prevalent in UK television food advertising viewed by children, and are frequently used to promote unhealthy foods. Policy makers in the UK should consider amendments to the existing statutory approach in order to address this issue.

Highlights

Whilst childhood obesity remains a significant public health challenge, children’s exposure to obesogenic food marketing presents a clear opportunity for intervention
This study aims to build on existing research quantifying the creative content of food and beverage advertising, with a specific focus on the use of health-related messaging as part of a health halo effect
Six months of 2010 television recording is likely to be highly representative of the full 12 months, we found a less than a 1% change in proportions of food types advertised between the 12 months published data of 2008 compared to six months [21]

Summary

Introduction

Whilst childhood obesity remains a significant public health challenge, children’s exposure to obesogenic food marketing presents a clear opportunity for intervention. Few countries have effectively dealt with the issue [1] in the UK, Ofcom (the broadcast regulator) have imposed media-specific statutory regulation with the aim of reducing exposure for children under the age of 16 years to the advertising of foods high in saturated fats, sugars and/or salt (HFSS) on television [2]. The regulations, phased in during 2007–2009, banned HFSS adverts on dedicated children’s channels and restricted the broadcast of such adverts around programmes of appeal to 4–15 year olds on any channel [3]. The World Health Organisation calls on governments to introduce regulation that “has the ability to reduce the power of marketing by targeting the use of specific techniques which have a powerful effect, a disproportionate

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