Television marketing plays large role in youth obesity

IOM committee calls on the media, parents, and food and beverage companies to make changes to improve diets of children.

Issue: January 2006

With childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity on the rise, an Institute of Medicine committee examined the effects that television advertising has on children and their diets. The Committee on Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth found strong evidence that television advertising influences food and beverage requests, preferences, beliefs and diets of young children.

“There has been a great increase in recent years in the number of food and beverage products being explicitly marketed to children. The vast majority of these products are high in fats, carbohydrates and/or salt. The research is clear that children’s food preferences are altered in the direction of advertised products,” Daniel R. Anderson, PhD, told Endocrine Today.

Anderson, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, sat on the committee with a number of other doctors, professors and industry professionals.

According to the report, obesity among 6- to 19-year-olds has more than tripled since the 1960s (from 5% to 16% in 2002). As more and more children and adolescents are becoming obese, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among this population is growing at a rapid rate. Because dietary patterns beginning in childhood can “give shape” to diet and health later in life, the committee set out to determine the effects of at least one major source of influence the diet of young people.

Marketing to children

“The prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and, at worst, a direct threat to the health of the next generation,” the report stated. “Television remains the primary promotional vehicle for measured media marketing,” with $5 billion spent in 2004 by the food, beverage and restaurant industries.

Furthermore, trends in production and marketing in these industries indicate an increased focus on children. Between 1994 and 2004, increases in youth-targeted food and beverage product introduction dramatically outpaced those with a more general market target.

Significant research in the past has gone into determining the effects of advertising on children. The report states that between the ages of 2 and 11, most children begin to develop “consumption motives and values” and develop knowledge about products and advertising.

“The question about television in general is a very big question and does not allow a simple answer,” Anderson said. “Content matters, and children absorb lessons from television both intended and unintended. Educational television programs are in fact effective in educating children. Violent programs help induce children to become impulsive and aggressive. There is no question that television influences the minds of children.”

Committee findings

The committee reviewed more than 200 peer-reviewed papers on the subject of television marketing to children. Some of their most important findings include the following:

There is strong evidence that television advertising influences the food and beverage preferences and purchase requests of children aged 2 to 11 years. Sufficient evidence was not found for 12- to 18-year olds.
There is also strong evidence that advertising influences the short-term consumption choices of younger children. Again, evidence in teens was insufficient.
There is strong evidence that exposure to food and beverage television advertising is associated with adiposity in both youth age groups. The report noted that the evidence was not sufficient to conclusively determine the causal nature of this relationship.
Finally, the committee found that most children under 8 years old do not understand the intent of marketing messages and advertisements, and most children under the age of 4 “cannot consistently discriminate between television advertising and programming.”

Given these findings, the report gave 10 recommendations aimed at food and beverage companies, parents and families, schools and public policy makers.

First of all, food and beverage companies must begin to use their significant resources to promote healthier diets for children. Trade associations in this industry must also be involved, providing assistance and encouraging compliance with the development and application of healthier products and marketing standards.

The committee recommended that the media and entertainment industry focus its efforts on promoting healthful food and beverages to youth.

Parents and schools

With regard to parents and families, the committee recommended that the government create a long-term social marketing program aimed at helping parents guide their children’s diets. While it has been suggested that limits on television viewing may help, Anderson said that this may be only a temporary solution.

“Food marketing is shifting from television as the primary venue to other important venues including the Internet, schools, children’s out-of-school activities and point-of-purchase marketing. Supermarkets, for example, have elaborate shelving and advertising practices that place particular products and promotions where they will likely be seen by children.”

School programs should also be implemented that encourage healthy foods and diets.

Perhaps most importantly, the government at all levels must engage in activities that promote better diets. This could include incentives to food and beverage companies that turn toward healthy products, an increased effort at making fruits and vegetables available to children, and design of new systems to bring healthier meals to school cafeterias.

And finally, the committee recommended that significantly more research be done in this area by researchers in a variety of disciplines around the country. “The importance of this issue commands much more study. Although thousands of papers touch on the topic, the number of carefully designed studies is far too limited for a problem that may so substantially affect the nation’s health and that is so intrinsically complicated.”

Given all of the extensive work that needs to be done, the committee further recommended that an adequately funded agency be designated to monitor the nation’s progress in this important area.

Involve everyone

Anderson reiterated the importance of an attack on this problem from all angles. “Everyone needs to be involved,” he said. “I was shocked at the sorry state of nutrition of American children, with obesity being far from our only problem.

“Food and beverage companies must work to create and market palatable but nutritious food products for children and de-emphasize the marketing of less nutritious products. Television advertising should be for a more balanced array of products. Policy-makers should be willing to provide both carrots and sticks to make these things happen,” Anderson said.

As rates of overweight and obesity continue to rise among all age ranges, the problem is perhaps most significant among children.

To combat this, the report states that “the turnaround required will depend on aggressive and sustained leadership from all sectors, including the food and beverage industries. This is a public health priority of the highest order.” – by Dave Levitan

For more information:

Food and marketing to children and youth: threat or opportunity? Institute of Meidcine of the National Academies. http://www.nap.edu/books/0309097134/html.