Adolescents’ media usage and self-reported exposure to advertising across six countries: implications for less healthy food and beverage marketing

Abstract

ObjectivesThe study objectives were to examine: (1) adolescents’ media viewing habits, (2) associations with media viewing and self-reported exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising and (3) differences in trends among younger and older adolescents in six high and upper middle-income countries.DesignRepeat cross-sectional online survey.SettingAustralia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA).ParticipantsRespondents to the International Food Policy Study who provided information on all variables of interest in November–December 2019 aged 10–17 years (n=9171).Outcome measuresSelf-reported exposure to screen-based media (screen time by media channel), use of social media platforms and self-reported location and frequency of exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising.ResultsThe average amount of time spent in front of various screens ranged from 7.6 hours to 10.2 hours across countries per week day, which may include possible viewing of multiple media channels simultaneously. Overall, Instagram was the most popular social media platform (52%–68% by country), followed by Facebook (42%–79%) and Snapchat (28%–52%). The percentage of respondents who self-reported having seen unhealthy food advertisements in the past 30 days was highest on television (43%–69%), followed by digital media (27%–60%) and gaming applications (10%–17%). Self-reported daily exposure to advertising varied between countries for sugary drinks (10%–43%) and fast food (19%–44%) and was positively associated with self-reported screen time. Self-reported exposure to screen-based media and social media platforms differed by sociodemographic characteristics and was higher among older adolescents than younger adolescents.ConclusionsThe important amount of time spent on screen-based media reported by adolescents and large percentage of adolescents reporting social media usage, coupled with high rates of self-reported advertising exposure, support the need for policies to restrict marketing of unhealthy food and beverages appealing to adolescents on screen-based media.

Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study

“…Fast foods were the most frequently viewed food category in our study, with half of participants having viewed a food marketing instance containing a fast-food item. This is to be expected, as fast foods are regularly one of the most marketed food products to adolescents, highlighting a universal pattern (10,11,23,24) . The ubiquity of fast-food marketing is problematic as there is a demonstrated relationship between marketing exposures, food choice and increased consumption of unhealthy foods after social media use (25) .…”

“…Accepted manuscript highlighting a universal pattern 23,24,10,11 . The ubiquity of fast-food marketing is problematic as there is a demonstrated relationship between marketing exposures, food choice, and increased consumption of unhealthy foods after social media use 25 .…”

Association of Physical Activity and Screen Time With Body Mass Index Among US Adolescents

“…Future studies, including those using the ABCD data set, could take advantage of more intensive approaches that monitor device use in relation to BMI . BMI may be a poor proxy for obesity given that it cannot differentiate fat from lean mass .…”

“…15 Future studies, including those using the ABCD data set, could take advantage of more intensive approaches that monitor device use in relation to BMI. 44 BMI may be a poor proxy for obesity given that it cannot differentiate fat from lean mass. 45 Excluded participants were more likely to be racial and/or ethnic minority adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; this group has been previously found to report greater screen time and less physical activity and to have greater BMI…”

Methodologies for Monitoring the Digital Marketing of Foods and Beverages Aimed at Infants, Children, and Adolescents (ICA): A Scoping Review

“…The urgent call for a monitoring system for BMS and FBHFSS marketing on digital environments is given by the marketing techniques’ ability to increase consumer demand and consumption, with the corresponding risk for adequate feeding practices (e.g., breastfeeding or intake of healthy foods and beverages) [ 72 , 73 ], health consequences, and economic loss [ 74 , 75 , 76 ]. This marketing influence on purchasing decisions has also been described for tobacco and alcohol [ 77 , 78 ].…”