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The effects of television advertisements for junk food versus nutritious food on children's food attitudes and preferences

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  • Dixon, Helen G.
  • Scully, Maree L.
  • Wakefield, Melanie A.
  • White, Victoria M.
  • Crawford, David A.

Abstract

Television (TV) food advertising has attracted criticism for its potential role in promoting unhealthy dietary practices among children. Content analyses indicate junk food advertising is prevalent on Australian children's TV; healthy eating is rarely promoted. This paper presents (a) a cross-sectional survey examining associations between children's regular TV viewing habits and their food-related attitudes and behaviour; and (b) an experiment assessing the impact of varying combinations of TV advertisements (ads) for unhealthy and healthy foods on children's dietary knowledge, attitudes and intentions. The experimental conditions simulated possible models for regulating food ads on children's TV. Participants were 919 grade five and six students from schools in Melbourne, Australia. The survey showed that heavier TV use and more frequent commercial TV viewing were independently associated with more positive attitudes toward junk food; heavier TV use was also independently associated with higher reported junk food consumption. The experiment found that ads for nutritious foods promote selected positive attitudes and beliefs concerning these foods. Findings are discussed in light of methodological issues in media effects research and their implications for policy and practice. It is concluded that changing the food advertising environment on children's TV to one where nutritious foods are promoted and junk foods are relatively unrepresented would help to normalize and reinforce healthy eating.

Suggested Citation

  • Dixon, Helen G. & Scully, Maree L. & Wakefield, Melanie A. & White, Victoria M. & Crawford, David A., 2007. "The effects of television advertisements for junk food versus nutritious food on children's food attitudes and preferences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1311-1323, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:65:y:2007:i:7:p:1311-1323
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    1. Farrelly, M.C. & Healton, C.G. & Davis, K.C. & Messeri, P. & Hersey, J.C. & Haviland, M.L., 2002. "Getting to the truth: Evaluating national tobacco countermarketing campaigns," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 92(6), pages 901-907.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elena Briones Alonso & Lara Cockx & Jo Swinnen, 2017. "Culture and food security," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 591898, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    2. Judith Brown & Jan Nicholson & Dorothy Broom & Michael Bittman, 2011. "Television Viewing by School-Age Children: Associations with Physical Activity, Snack Food Consumption and Unhealthy Weight," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 101(2), pages 221-225, April.
    3. David Blanco-Herrero & Jorge Gallardo-Camacho & Carlos Arcila-Calderón, 2021. "Health Advertising during the Lockdown: A Comparative Analysis of Commercial TV in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-26, January.
    4. Marek Jenöffy-Lochau, 2013. "Information, Credibility, and Endogenous Preferences," Post-Print hal-04139636, HAL.
    5. Benito-Ostolaza, Juan Miguel & Echavarri, Rebeca & Garcia-Prado, Ariadna & Oses-Eraso, Nuria, 2021. "Using visual stimuli to promote healthy snack choices among children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    6. Veronica Piziak, 2012. "A Pilot Study of a Pictorial Bilingual Nutrition Education Game to Improve the Consumption of Healthful Foods in a Head Start Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-7, April.
    7. Marek Jenöffy, 2023. "A Seesaw Model of Choices," Working Papers hal-04136550, HAL.
    8. Filipovic, Jelena, 2023. "Television food ads aimed at children in South-Eastern Europe: Cultural outlook and implications," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    9. Bentley, R. Alexander & Ormerod, Paul, 2010. "A rapid method for assessing social versus independent interest in health issues: A case study of 'bird flu' and 'swine flu'," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 482-485, August.
    10. Binder, Alice & Naderer, Brigitte & Matthes, Jörg, 2019. "Do children's food choices go with the crowd? Effects of majority and minority peer cues shown within an audiovisual cartoon on children's healthy food choice," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 42-50.
    11. Brown, Judith E. & Broom, Dorothy H. & Nicholson, Jan M. & Bittman, Michael, 2010. "Do working mothers raise couch potato kids? Maternal employment and children's lifestyle behaviours and weight in early childhood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 1816-1824, June.
    12. repec:lic:licosd:39817 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Howard, Larry L. & Prakash, Nishith, 2009. "Do Means-Tested School Lunch Subsidies Change Children's Weekly Consumption Patterns?," IZA Discussion Papers 4427, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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