Children's measured exposure to food and beverage advertising on television in Toronto (Canada), May 2011-May 2019.
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ABSTRACT: Objective
Exposure to unhealthy food advertising is a known determinant of children's poor dietary behaviours. The purpose of this study was to quantify and characterize Canadian children's exposure to food advertising on broadcast television and examine trends over time.Methods
Objectively measured advertising exposure data for 19 food categories airing on 30 stations broadcast in Toronto were licenced for May 2011 and May 2019. Using ad ratings data, the average number of food advertisements viewed by children aged 2-11 years, overall, by food category and by type of television station (child-appealing, adolescent-appealing and generalist stations), was estimated per time period.Results
In May 2019, children viewed an average of 136 food advertisements on television, 20% fewer than in May 2011. More than half of advertisements viewed in May 2019 promoted unhealthy food categories such as fast food (43% of exposure), candy (6%), chocolate (6%) and regular soft drinks (5%) and only 17% of their total exposure occurred on child-appealing stations. Between May 2011 and May 2019, children's exposure increased the most, in absolute terms, for savory snack foods (+7.2 ad exposures/child), fast food (+5.4) and regular soft drinks (+5.3) with most of these increases occurring on generalist stations.Conclusion
Canadian children are still exposed to advertisements promoting unhealthy food categories on television despite voluntary restrictions adopted by some food companies. Statutory restrictions should be adopted and designed such that children are effectively protected from unhealthy food advertising on both stations intended for general audiences and those appealing to younger audiences.
SUBMITTER: Pauze E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8651920 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ObjectiveTo quantify food/beverage advertising on television in Montreal (Quebec), to estimate and characterise children's exposure and to examine trends over time.DesignTelevision food advertising data were licensed for nineteen food categories and eighteen stations for May 2011, 2016 and 2019. The frequency of advertisements and the average number viewed per child aged 2-11 years overall, by food category and by station type (i.e. youth-appealing (n 3) and generalist (n 15) stations) were determined. The percent change in advertising frequency and exposure between May 2011 and 2019 was calculated.SettingMontreal, Quebec, Canada.ParticipantsThis study used media data and did not directly involve human participants.ResultsThe total number of television advertisements increased by 11 % between May 2011 (n 41 084) and May 2019 (n 45 406); however, exposure to food/beverage advertisements decreased by 53 %, going from 226 ads/child in May 2011 to 107 ads/child in May 2019. Overall, the most advertised food categories in both May 2011 and 2019 were fast food (29·8 % and 39·2 %, respectively) followed by chocolate (14·2 %) in 2011 and savory snacks (9·7 %) in 2019. In May 2019, children were predominantly exposed to unhealthy food categories such as fast food (41·3 % of exposure), savory snacks (7·5 %), chocolate (5·0 %) and regular soft drinks (4·5 %), and most (89·3 %) of their total exposure occurred on generalist television stations.ConclusionDespite Quebec's restrictions on commercial advertising directed to children under 13 years, Quebecois children are still frequently exposed to unhealthy food advertising on television. Government should tighten restrictions to protect children from this exposure.
| S-EPMC10195613 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Reducing children's exposure to advertisements promoting unhealthy foods and beverages has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a key strategy to improve children's diets and reduce childhood obesity. To examine changes in children's exposure to food-related (food, beverage, and restaurant) television advertising, including for products high in nutrients to limit (NTL; ie, saturated fat, trans fat, total sugars, and sodium) based on federal Interagency Working Group guidelines, following changes in the voluntary industry self-regulatory Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). This repeated cross-sectional study used US television ratings data on advertising exposure from The Nielsen Company for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2022. Food and beverage product advertisements were assessed for nutritional content. Participants included 2- to 5-year-old and 6-to 11-year-old children. Data analysis was performed from July 2023 to January 2024. Changes in CFBAI standards in 2014 and 2020. The primary outcome was the number of food-related advertisements seen per year and percentage of food and beverage product advertisements high in NTL, on all programming and children's programming (defined as ≥35% child audience share). From 2013 to 2022, total advertisements seen per year declined by 77.6% (from 4611 to 1035) for 2- to 5-year-olds and by 78.5% (from 4860 to 1046) for 6- to 11-year-olds. Advertisements seen on children's programming decreased by 95.1% (from 1703 to 84 per year) for 2- to 5-year-olds and by 97.0% (from 1745 to 52 per year) for 6- to 11-year-olds. The percentages of advertisements for products high in NTL decreased from 2013 to 2022 but were still high: 68.9% for all programming and 63.9% for children's programming for 2- to 5-year-olds, and 68.4% for all programming and 60.6% for children's programming for 6- to 11-year-olds. The majority (51%-52%) of CFBAI-member food and beverage advertisements on children's programming remained high in NTL. Black children saw more food-related television advertisements than White children (58% more for 2- to 5-year-olds and 72% more for 6- to 11-year-olds); however, the percentage of advertisements for food and beverage products high in NTL seen was similar by race. In this repeated cross-sectional study of children's exposure to food-related television advertisements, exposure via children's programming decreased substantially. However, most advertisements seen were still for unhealthy products, and exposure from all programming remained substantial. Findings of more than 90% of advertising exposure not from children's programming and more than 1000 food-related advertisements seen per year suggest the need for government regulations based on time of day rather than programming.
| S-EPMC11342137 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Adolescents represent a key audience for food advertisers, however there is little evidence of adolescent exposure to food marketing in Canada. This study examined trends in Canadian adolescents' exposure to food advertising on television. To do so, data on 19 food categories were licensed from Nielsen Media Research for May 2011, 2013, and 2016 for the broadcasting market of Toronto, Canada. The average number of advertisements viewed by adolescents aged 12-17 years on 31 television stations during the month of May each year was estimated using television ratings data. Findings revealed that between May 2011 and May 2016, the total number of food advertisements aired on all television stations increased by 4%, while adolescents' average exposure to food advertising decreased by 31%, going from 221 ads in May 2011 to 154 in May 2016. In May 2016, the advertising of fast food and sugary drinks dominated, relative to other categories, accounting for 42% and 11% of all exposures, respectively. The findings demonstrate a declining trend in exposure to television food advertising among Canadian adolescents, which may be due to shifts in media consumption. These data may serve as a benchmark for monitoring and evaluating future food marketing policies in Canada.
| S-EPMC7071192 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivePrevious studies from European countries noted that food products promoted on TV for children did not comply with international guidelines, including the World Health Organization European Nutrient Profile Model (WHO-ENPM) and the EU Pledge Nutrition Criteria (EU-PNC, an initiative developed by leading food companies). We aim to provide new data from Italy.DesignEvaluation of Italian TV advertisements. Data on nutritional values for food product advertised were compared with nutritional standards issued by the WHO-ENPM and the EU-PNC.SettingIn total, 180 h of TV programmes from six Italian channels, 2016-2017.ParticipantsEight hundred and ten consecutive advertisements during children's programmes.ResultsOut of 810 advertisements, 90 (11·1 %) referred to food products. Among these, 84·5 % of the foods promoted did not meet the WHO-ENPM and 55·6 % the EU-PNC guidelines. Advertisements promoting sweet and salty snacks (i.e. ≥ 70 % of all foods) v. other food products showed higher non-compliance with both the WHO-ENPM (OR: 73·8; 95 % CI: 4·09, 1330) and the EU-PNC (OR: 9·21; 95 % CI: 2·82, 30·1).ConclusionsIn Italy, most food advertisements during children's programmes are not compliant with European nutritional standards. Almost all the advertisements for snacks do not meet international guidelines. As the WHO-ENPM guidelines do not propose standards for all the food products, including meals, there is an urgent need to define independent and easy-to-read guidelines for food advertisements targeting children. As a first step towards the complete ban of food advertisements targeting children recommended by other researchers, these guidelines should be enforced by all the TV broadcasts.
| S-EPMC10195307 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFood and beverage advertising has been identified as a powerful determinant of dietary intake and weight. Available evidence suggests that the preponderance of food and beverage advertising expenditures are devoted to the promotion of unhealthy products. The purpose of this study is to estimate food advertising expenditures in Canada in 2019 overall, by media and by food category, determine how much was spent on promoting healthier versus less healthy products and assess whether changes in these expenditures occurred between 2016 and 2019.MethodsEstimates of net advertising expenditures for 57 selected food categories promoted on television, radio, out-of-home media, print media and popular websites, were licensed from Numerator. The nutrient content of promoted products or brands were collected, and related expenditures were then categorized as "healthy" or "unhealthy" according to a Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) proposed by Health Canada. Expenditures were described using frequencies and relative frequencies and percent changes in expenditures between 2016 and 2019 were computed.ResultsAn estimated $628.6 million was spent on examined food and beverage advertising in Canada in 2019, with television accounting for 67.7%, followed by digital media (11.8%). In 2019, most spending (55.7%) was devoted to restaurants, followed by dairy and alternatives (11%), and $492.9 million (87.2% of classified spending) was spent advertising products and brands classified as "unhealthy". Fruit and vegetables and water accounted for only 2.1 and 0.8% of expenditures, respectively, in 2019. In 2019 compared to 2016, advertising expenditures decreased by 14.1% across all media (excluding digital media), with the largest decreases noted for print media (- 63.0%) and television (- 14.6%). Overall, expenditures increased the most in relative terms for fruit and vegetables (+ 19.5%) and miscellaneous products (+ 5%), while decreasing the most for water (- 55.6%) and beverages (- 47.5%).ConclusionsDespite a slight drop in national food and beverage advertising spending between 2016 and 2019, examined expenditures remain high, and most products or brands being advertised are unhealthy. Expenditures across all media should continue to be monitored to assess Canada's nutrition environment and track changes in food advertising over time.
| S-EPMC9340686 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The progressive rise in Canadian child obesity has paralleled trends in unhealthy food consumption. Industry has contributed to these trends through aggressive food and beverage marketing in various media and child settings. This study aimed to assess the extent of food and beverage advertising on television in Canada and compare the frequency of food advertising broadcasted during programs targeted to preschoolers, children, adolescents and adults. Annual advertising from 2018 was drawn from publicly available television program logs. Food and beverage advertisement rates and frequencies were compared by, target age group, television station, month and food category, using linear regression modelling and chi-square tests, in SAS version 9.4. Rates of food and beverage advertising differed significantly between the four target age groups, and varied significantly by television station and time of the year, in 2018. The proportion of advertisements for food and beverage products was significantly greater during preschooler-, child-, and adult-programming [5432 (54%), 142,451 (74%) and 2,886,628 (48%), respectively; p < 0.0001] compared to adolescent-programming [27,268 (42%)]. The proportion of advertisements promoting fast food was significantly greater among adolescent-programming [33,475 (51%), p < 0.0001] compared to other age groups. Legislation restricting food and beverage advertising is needed in Canada as current self-regulatory practices are failing to protect young people from unhealthy food advertising and its potential negative health effects.
| S-EPMC7142724 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionSex differences exist in children's obesity rates, dietary patterns and television viewing. Television continues to be a source of unhealthy food advertising exposure to children in Canada. Our objective was to examine sex differences in food advertising exposure in children aged 2 to 17 years across four Canadian English language markets.MethodsWe licensed 24-hour television advertising data from the company Numerator for January through December 2019, in four cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal and Toronto) across Canada. Child food advertising exposure overall, by food category, television station, Health Canada's proposed nutrient profiling model, and marketing techniques were examined on the 10 most popular television stations among children and compared by sex. Advertising exposure was estimated using gross rating points, and sex differences were described using relative and absolute differences.ResultsBoth male and female children were exposed to an elevated level of unhealthy food advertising and a plethora of marketing techniques across all four cities. Differences between sexes were evident between and within cities. Compared to females, males in Vancouver and Montréal viewed respectively 24.7% and 24.0% more unhealthy food ads/person/year and were exposed to 90.2 and 133.4 more calls to action, 93.3 and 97.8 more health appeals, and 88.4 and 81.0 more products that appeal to children.ConclusionTelevision is a significant source of children's exposure to food advertising, with clear sex differences. Policy makers need to consider sex when developing food advertising restrictions and monitoring efforts.
| S-EPMC10237258 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and aimIn the United States, the fast food companies McDonald's and Burger King participate in marketing self-regulation programs that aim to limit emphasis on premiums and promote emphasis of healthy food choices. We determine what children recall from fast food television advertisements aired by these companies.MethodsOne hundred children aged 3-7 years were shown McDonald's and Burger King children's (MDC & BKC) and adult (MDA & BKA) meal ads, randomly drawn from ads that aired on national US television from 2010-11. Immediately after seeing the ad, children were asked to recall what they had seen and transcripts evaluated for descriptors of food, healthy food (apples or milk), and premiums/tie-ins.ResultsPremiums/tie-ins were common in children's but rarely appeared in adult ads, and all children's ads contained images of healthy foods (apples and milk). Participants were significantly less likely to recall any food after viewing the children's vs. the adult ad (MDC 32% [95% confidence interval 23, 41] vs. MDA 68% [59, 77]) p <0.001; BKC 46% [39, 56] vs. BKA 67% [58, 76] respectively, p = 0.002). For children's ads alone and for both restaurants, recall frequency for all food was not significantly different from premium/tie-ins, and participants were significantly more likely to recall other food items than apples or milk. Moreover, premiums/tie-ins were recalled much more frequently than healthy food (MDC 45% [35, 55] vs. 9% [3, 15] p<0.001; BKC 54% [44, 64] vs. 2% [0, 5] respectively, p<0.001).ConclusionsChildren's net impressions of television fast food advertising indicate that industry self-regulation failed to achieve a de-emphasis on toy premiums and tie-ins and did not adequately communicate healthy menu choices. The methods devised for this study could be used to monitor and better regulate advertising patterns of practice.
| S-EPMC4349637 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe food industry advertises unhealthy foods intended for children which in turn fosters poor diets. This study characterized advertising expenditures on child-targeted products in Canada and compared these expenditures between Quebec, where commercial advertising to children under 13 is restricted, and the rest of Canada, where food advertising to children is self-regulated.MethodsAdvertising expenditures data for 2016 and 2019 for 57 select food categories and five media channels were licensed from Numerator. Products and brands targeted to children were identified based on their nature and the advertising techniques used to promote them. Advertising expenditures were classified as healthy/unhealthy using Health Canada's nutrient profile model. Expenditures per child capita aged 2-12 years were calculated and expenditures from 2016 were adjusted for inflation. Advertising expenditures were described by media, food category, year, and geographic region.ResultsOverall, $57.2 million CAD was spent advertising child-targeted products in Canada in 2019. Television accounted for 77% of expenditures followed by digital media (18%), and the food categories with the highest expenditures were candy/chocolate (30%) and restaurants (16%). The totality of expenditures (99.9%-100%) in both Quebec and the rest of Canada in 2016 and 2019 were considered 'unhealthy'. Across all media channels (excluding digital), advertising expenditures were 9% lower in 2019 versus 2016. Advertising expenditures per capita were 32% lower in Quebec ($9.40/capita) compared to the rest of the country ($13.91/capita).ConclusionIn Canada, millions are spent promoting child-targeted products considered inappropriate for advertising to children. While per capita advertising expenditures for these products are lower in Quebec compared to the rest of Canada, they remain high, suggesting that Quebec's commercial advertising restrictions directed to children are likely not sufficiently protecting them from unhealthy food advertising.
| S-EPMC9833551 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFood and beverage promotion is a contributor to children's dietary behaviours, and ultimately, downstream health consequences. Broadcast television remains an important source of such advertising. The objective of this study was to examine and compare children and adolescent's exposure to food advertising on television in Canada over an entire year in a self-regulatory environment.MethodsTelevision advertising data for 57 selected food and beverage categories were licensed from Numerator for 36 stations in Toronto, for 2019. The estimated average number of advertisements viewed by children aged 2-11 and adolescents aged 12-17 was determined overall, by food category, and by marketing technique. The healthfulness of advertisements was also assessed using Health Canada's Nutrient Profile Model.ResultsOverall in 2019, children viewed 2234.4 food ads/person/yr while adolescents viewed 1631.7 ads, exposure for both groups stemmed primarily from stations with general appeal, and both age groups were exposed to a range of powerful marketing techniques. Exposure to advertising for restaurants, snacks, breakfast food and candy and chocolate was high among both age groups and the healthfulness of most advertised products was considered poor. Adolescents were exposed to 36.4% more food products classified as unhealthy, had higher exposure to all marketing techniques examined, and were exposed to substantially more child-related marketing techniques compared to children.ConclusionChildren and adolescents were heavily exposed to food advertisements on television in 2019. Despite current self-regulatory policies, children's exposure to unhealthy food and beverages remains high. Differences in exposure to food advertisements by food category and healthfulness may suggest that adolescents are being disproportionately targeted by food companies as a result of self-regulatory marketing restrictions.
| S-EPMC10037770 | biostudies-literature