Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption for Childhood Obesity Prevention

Abstract

Currently, food marketing for unhealthy foods is omnipresent. Foods high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) are advertised intensively on several media platforms, including digital platforms that are increasingly used by children, such as social media, and can be bought almost everywhere. This could contribute to the obesity epidemic that we are facing. As the majority of children and adolescents do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables (F&V), which leads to chronic diseases, we need to change the obesogenic environment to a healthogenic environment. Reducing the marketing of energy-dense snacks to children and increasing the promotion of healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables, may be an effective and necessary instrument to improve the dietary intake of children and reduce the risk of their experiencing some chronic diseases later in life. With this focused narrative review, we provide an overview of how children and adolescents react to food promotions and how food promotional efforts might be a useful tool to increase the attractiveness of fruit and vegetables. This review therefore contributes to the question of how changing the advertising and media environment of children and adolescents could help create a world where the healthy choice is the easier choice, which would reduce childhood obesity and improve children’s health, as well as to make the food system more sustainable.

Impact of Thin-Ideals in Influencer Posts Promoting Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods on Tweens’ Healthy Food Choice Behavior

“…Some argue, however, that the pledge cannot sufficiently protect children from exposure to unhealthy foods ( Neyens and Smits, 2017 ). Social media are still a relatively unregulated space in this regard, and marketers should be held accountable when targeting children with unhealthy products, especially since the negative consequences of marketing unhealthy foods to children are well known ( Folkvord et al, 2022 ). Given the volatile nature of social media content, it is difficult to monitor and penalize breaches.…”

A influência das mídias eletrônicas na construção dos hábitos alimentares na infância: um panorama do comportamento alimentar infantil na era digital e no contexto familiar

“…Portanto, o tempo de exposição e a regularidade com que as crianças visualizam os anúncios sobre alimentos insalubres, influencia na decisão de consumo (Campos et al, 2020). Diante disso, o desejo de consumo de alimento não saudáveis é maior porque são mais inerentemente gratificantes, levando em consideração as respostas fisiológicas inconscientes do organismo (aumento da salivação e incremento cerebrais dos sistemas de recompensa) e processos psicológicos do gostar e desejar (Folkvord et al, 2021).…”

“…Nessa perspectiva, as indústrias de alimentos investem estrategicamente em propagandas para as crianças devido ao poder de influência sob os pais na decisão de compra dos alimentos para a família por meio de pedidos e apelos emocionais (Emond et al, 2019;Folkvord et al, 2021;Folkvord et al, 2021).…”

Consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes are associated with overweight/obesity in the middle- and old-aged Chongqing residents: A case-control study

“…[ 10 ] However, the role of certain foods, such as fruit, vegetables, and legumes, in overweight/obesity remains inconsonant and controversial; the consumption of these foods and its association with weight gain in individuals in different regions remain uncertain. [ 11 , 12 ]…”

“…[10] However, the role of certain foods, such as fruit, vegetables, and legumes, in overweight/obesity remains inconsonant and controversial; the consumption of these foods and its association with weight gain in individuals in different regions remain uncertain. [11,12] Besides dietary habits, the increasing rates of obesity are largely attributed to lifestyles; people presenting with a variety of behaviors have been linked to an individual's weight gain, including drinking, smoking, and so on. [13] Living a sedentary lifestyle has also been regarded as a risk factor for overweight/ obesity, and 150 to 200 minutes of physical exercise per week is considered effective in preventing overweight/obesity.…”