title: Exploring the association between television advertising of healthy and unhealthy foods, self-control, and food intake in three European countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Building upon previous results, the present study explored the relationship between exposure to unhealthy and healthy food TV commercials, trait self-control, and food intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 825 Finns (53% female), 1,055 Germans (55% female), and 971 Romanians (55% female) aged 8-21 reported advertisement exposure, self-control, and food intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Altogether, participants indicated higher exposure to unhealthy compared to healthy food advertisements (F(1, 2848) = 354.73, p < .001, partial η(2)  = .111). Unhealthy food advertisement exposure was positively associated with unhealthy food intake (all β ≥ .16, p < .001). Healthy food advertisement exposure was positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption (β = .10, p < .001). Self-control was associated with higher consumption of healthy (β ≥ .09, p < .001) and lower consumption of unhealthy foods (all β ≥ -.11, p < .001). Yet, findings of advertising and self-control were mainly independent (interactions: β ≤ |.07|, p ≥ .002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even though the results suggest that healthy advertisement exposure and self-control might be beneficial for children's and adolescents' diet, self-control might be insufficient to alleviate the positive relationship between unhealthy food advertising and unhealthy eating.
authors.affiliation: University of Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tăut
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ollila
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Băban
authors.forename: Pilvikki
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Absetz
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schupp
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Renner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012383:Romania; D000068356:Self-Control; D062410:Snacks; D012923:Social Class; D013690:Television; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: TV; adolescents; advertising; children; eating; self-control