CHICAGO—Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago Institute for Health Research and Policy have received a $2.2 million federal grant to determine whether television food advertising affects children's diet, physical activity and weight. The 4-year project is funded by the National Cancer Institute.
The research can provide important information for policymakers and public health advocates about the potential effectiveness of regulating television food advertising to children and using TV media campaigns as policy tools for improving these health outcomes. Previous research showed that 98 percent of food-product ads viewed by children ages 2 to 11, and 89 percent of those viewed by adolescents ages 12 to 17, were for foods high in fat, sugar or sodium.
The current study is the first to combine food, beverage and restaurant ad ratings and nutritional data with individual data on obesity to analyze the relationship between product exposure, nutritional content of ad exposure, and food consumption, diet quality and obesity, according to the researchers.
The study also will examine the relationship between exposure to health promotion ads—those that encourage eating fruits and vegetables or getting regular physical activity—and individual behaviors related to diet, activity and weight outcomes. By measuring the types of ads that children of different ages and races are exposed to, the researchers hope to determine if advertising practices and TV viewing patterns contribute to differences in diet and obesity among Caucasian and black children.