title: [Content analysis of food adverts aimed at children].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the contents and persuasive techniques used in processed food adverts aimed at children in Andalusia, comparing them with those aimed at adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study based on advert content analysis with two phases: a descriptive design phase and an analytical observational design phase. A sample of adverts from 60hours of broadcasting from the two most watched television channels in Andalusia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 416 food and non-alcoholic beverage adverts were obtained, for 91 different products. Approximately 42.9% (n=39) was aimed at children and 53.8% (n=49) were products classified as "unhealthy". Unhealthy foods were more common in adverts for children (p <0.001). Significant differences were found between the ads aimed at adults and those aimed at children. Emotional and irrational persuasive resources such as fantasy (p <0.001), cartoons (p <0.001) or offering gifts with the purchase of the product (p=0.003) were observed more frequently in adverts for children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Food advertising aimed at children in Andalusia is mainly based on offering products with a low nutritional value and using persuasive resources based on fantasy or gifts. The message is focused on the incentive and not the food. More effective measures than the current self-regulatory systems must be put in place to counter these distorted adverts.
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitario de Enfermería de Cruz Roja adscrito a la Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España. Electronic address: japonce@cruzroja.es.
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ponce-Blandón
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitario de Enfermería de Cruz Roja adscrito a la Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pabón-Carrasco
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Podología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: María de Las Mercedes
authors.initials: MLM
authors.lastname: Lomas-Campos
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D001628:Beverages; D002359:Cartoons as Topic; D002648:Child; D030881:Disclosure; D004644:Emotions; D005502:Food; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D013030:Spain; D013690:Television
keywords: Advertising as topic/methods; Child health; Food preferences; Health promotion; Media; Medios de comunicación; Preferencias alimentarias; Processed foods; Productos alimenticios procesados; Promoción de la salud; Publicidad como asunto/métodos; Salud del niño