Beyond-brand effect of television food advertisements on food choice in children: the effects of weight status.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of television food advertising on children's food intake, specifically whether childhood obesity is related to a greater susceptibility to food promotion.


METHODS
The study was a within-subject, counterbalanced design. The children were tested on two occasions separated by two weeks. One condition involved the children viewing food advertisements followed by a cartoon, in the other condition the children viewed non-food adverts followed by the same cartoon. Following the cartoon, their food intake and choice was assessed in a standard paradigm.


METHODS
The study was conducted in Liverpool, UK.


METHODS
Fifty-nine children (32 male, 27 female) aged 9-11 years were recruited from a UK school to participate in the study. Thirty-three children were normal-weight (NW), 15 overweight (OW) and 11 obese (OB).


RESULTS
Exposure to food adverts produced substantial and significant increases in energy intake in all children (P < 0.001). The increase in intake was largest in the obese children (P = 0.04). All children increased their consumption of high-fat and/or sweet energy-dense snacks in response to the adverts (P < 0.001). In the food advert condition, total intake and the intake of these specific snack items correlated with the children's modified age- and gender-specific body mass index score.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that obese and overweight children are indeed more responsive to food promotion, which specifically stimulates the intake of energy-dense snacks.
Halford
Jason Cg
JC
Kissileff Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behaviour, School of Psychology, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK. j.c.g.halford@liverpool.ac.uk
Boyland
Emma J
EJ
Hughes
Georgina M
GM
Stacey
Leanne
L
McKean
Sarah
S
Dovey
Terence M
TM
D000329:Advertising; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002359:Cartoons as Topic; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002755:Choice Behavior; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*; D008402:Mass Media; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D002666:Psychology, Child; D013690:Television; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology