Outdoor advertising, obesity, and soda consumption: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundRecent research has shown that neighborhood characteristics are associated with obesity prevalence. While food advertising in periodicals and television has been linked to overweight and obesity, it is unknown whether outdoor advertising is related to obesity.MethodsTo test the association between outdoor food advertising and obesity, we analyzed telephone survey data on adults, aged 18–98, collected from 220 census tracts in Los Angeles and Louisiana. We linked self-reported information on BMI and soda consumption with a database of directly observed outdoor advertisements.ResultsThe higher the percentage of outdoor advertisements promoting food or non-alcoholic beverages within a census tract, the greater the odds of obesity among its residents, controlling for age, race and educational status. For every 10% increase in food advertising, there was a 1.05 (95% CI 1.003 - 1.093, p<0.03) greater odds of being overweight or obese, controlling for other factors. Given these predictions, compared to an individual living in an area with no food ads, those living in areas in which 30% of ads were for food would have a 2.6% increase in the probability of being obese.ConclusionsThere is a relationship between the percentage of outdoor food advertising and overweight/obesity.

Disparities in Obesity-Related Outdoor Advertising by Neighborhood Income and Race

“…17 Although the patterns reported here may not generalize to all American cities, the results are consistent with other works showing disparities in outdoor obesity-related advertising found in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Austin, and New York. 7,9,10 It is important to point out that the present study does not address the gap in the literature surrounding the causal link between unhealthy advertising and obesity and more work is needed in this area. Future research should also investigate the ways in which the broader food information environment, or macro environments, shapes food choice in much the same way that research has confirmed that micro environments, like interiors of restaurants and grocery stores, are designed to encourage unhealthy food choices and overeating.…”

Unhealthful Food-and-Beverage Advertising in Subway Stations: Targeted Marketing, Vulnerable Groups, Dietary Intake, and Poor Health

“…Lesser et al showed that for every 10% increase in outdoor food advertising, there was a 5% greater odds of being overweight or obese, controlling for other factors [20]. While some outdoor food advertising occurs on the exteriors of food stores [21] and restaurants [17]-raising the possibility that it is the presence of food sources that matters for behavior rather than the advertising itself-the Lesser et al study specifically excluded storefront ads [20], suggesting the particular and independent importance of other advertising in communities.…”

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Children's Health

“…One study found that 97.8% and 89.4% of food-product advertisements viewed by children 2-11 years old and adolescents 12-17 years old, respectively, marketed foods that were high in fat, sugar, or sodium (121). One study found that the higher the percentage of outdoor advertisements for beverages in a census tract, the greater the odds of obesity in its residents (88). According to the Federal Trade Commission in 2009, advertisers spent the most on marketing SSBs to teenagers (56,82).…”