The moderating role of self-control in the relation between food cue exposure and caloric intake

Abstract

This study examines to what extent self-control moderates the influence of advergames promoting unhealthy food on caloric intake among children. Two hundred and sixty one children aged 6–9 played an advergame for 5 min, and caloric intake during play was tested. Children in the treatment conditions played an advergame promoting energy-dense snacks, while children in the control conditions played an advergame promoting non-food products. An extra manipulation was that half of the children were instructed to inhibit their craving for a reward, while other children were only instructed that they could eat as much as they wanted. Afterwards, they completed the experimental measures. Results (N = 261) show that children that played an advergame containing energy-dense snacks had a higher caloric intake than children that played an advergame containing non-food products. Furthermore, children that played an advergame promoting energy dense snacks that were instructed to inhibit their craving had a lower caloric intake than children that did not receive this instruction. Most remarkable is that children that played the advergame promoting energy-dense snacks and were instructed to inhibit food intake had a higher caloric intake than children that played the advergame promoting non-food products and had the same instruction. These findings suggest that advergames promoting energy-dense snacks increases the caloric intake of children and that these advergames makes it harder for children to self-control their craving for food.