Study: Trends in Children's Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Television . Image Credit: MIA Studio / Shutterstock.com Children's exposure to food-related ads on television has significantly decreased since 2013, but they still see over 1,000 mostly unhealthy ads annually, indicating a need for government regulation.
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open compares trends in children watching food and beverage television commercials in the United States between 2013 and 2022. How do unhealthy food advertisements affect child health? The World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated for government-mandated rules to limit harmful food marketing to children; however, few nations have enacted these types of laws. The food industry has implemented self-regulatory programs, such as the United States Voluntary Children Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), which promotes healthier goods in child-directed programming.
However, children between two and 11 years of age are continuously exposed to nearly 4,000 food-related advertisements each year that encourage the consumption of food products with excessive quantities of trans fat, saturated fat, salt, and total sugar. Thus, research is needed to assess the effects of unhealthy food promotion on children, particularly those from minority ethnic or racial groups with lower socioeconomic positions. About the study The researchers examined changes in food and beverage advertising for products in the nutrients.