Dale Kunkel and Dana Mastro work with UA communication students to code the commercials found during children’s programming. Photo by Christine Scheer.
New Grants Fund Research on
Food Marketing to Children
UA Communication Professors Dale Kunkel and Dana Mastro have received $200,000 from Children Now and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine food marketing to children on TV, including food marketing targeted to Latino children. One reason for the concern: the alarming rise in childhood obesity.
Do you remember the commercials for Chiquita bananas, Sunkist oranges or California raisins? Chances are that today’s children don’t.
Although advertisements of sugary cereals and other unhealthy foods have always been found during children’s shows (who can forget Tony the Tiger?), the marketing of junk food to children has gone into overdrive the last 20 years.
Approximately half of all television advertising directed to children is for food products. Not only are 90% of those ads for unhealthy food, but the marketing of food has become very sophisticated, incorporating product placements, kids’ meal toys, tie-ins with cartoon characters or celebrities, contests and web site promotions. Companies spend $15 billion a year on marketing to children under age 12, twice the amount spent just 10 years ago. (source: Children Now)
“The pervasiveness of marketing to kids is particularly troubling because of young children’s vulnerability to persuasion,” says Kunkel, who is a leading expert on advertising to children. “Children under age 8 do not recognize the persuasive intent of ads, and thus are more apt to accept their claims and appeals.”
Children watch a lot of television — approximately 3 hours a day. Each year, the average child sees about 40,000 ads. Being exposed to commercials has been shown to influence children’s brand preferences and product requests.
Why does it matter? Because the existing research shows a strong relationship between being exposed to these ads and childhood obesity.
Obesity is a major and growing problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of obesity among children ages 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 6.5% in 1980 to 17.0% in 2006. Obese children are at risk for health problems during their youth and as adults.
Research has been done to disentangle the reasons TV viewing is positively correlated with weight gain. Could it be children watching TV get less physical exercise? Are the ads for unhealthy foods promoting poor food choices?
“It is certainly the case that both of these factors are operating,” says Kunkel. “But there are lots of indicators that suggest that food marketing is the more predominant influence.”
Studying the Impact of Industry Self-Regulation
After a comprehensive review of the research, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science has recommended significant industry reform to achieve at least a balance between nutritious and non-nutritious foods in advertising directly to children.
In response, a coalition of major food companies has issued a detailed pledge of its commitment to devote part of its overall food marketing on healthy food. However, each company defines what constitutes “healthy” food differently — even those Tony the Tiger Frosted Flakes are considered by Kellogg’s to be a healthy food.
Companies are also now offering “better-for-you” foods. It remains to be seen whether foods defined as “better for you” (e.g., reduced-fat Oreos) are good for you, which is the goal of the reform.
Kunkel’s study, sponsored by Children Now, will examine the commercials found in at least 100 hours of both weekday and weekend children’s programming. Have the companies fulfilled their pledges? And if they have, has there been an overall change in the balance of marketing healthy/unhealthy foods? Not all food companies participate in the program, which means that the efforts of the initiative could be diluted by advertising for unhealthy foods from other sources.
Studying Food Ads Targeted To Latino Children
In addition to examining food marketing on the major networks and cable stations, Mastro and Kunkel will be looking at food marketing on children’s programs airing on Spanish-language stations. Given the growing Latino demographic, it is surprising that this study — funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — will be the first comprehensive study of its kind.
“Around 25% of the children in this country under five are Latino. On average, they consume more TV than the typical Caucasian child — including both English and Spanish language programming in their television diet,” says Mastro, who has conducted research previously on how media content influences perception of ethnic minorities, particularly Latinos.
It is also well established that Latino children are at particular risk for obesity. Four in 10 Mexican American youth ages 6 to 19 are considered overweight or at risk of being overweight (source: the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation).
Mastro and Kunkel will look at how much food advertising is directed to children on Spanish-language television stations. What is the nutritional quality of the food? What persuasive tactics are used to influence child-viewers, and how do these tactics differ across foods of varying nutritional value?
These studies should be completed in the fall of 2009. Kunkel says the findings could affect public policy.
“If we find that there are higher rates of junk food marketing to children on Spanish television, or that there is no functional difference between food advertising to children now than before the company pledges, it could have serious policy implications,” says Kunkel.
About the Research Sponsors
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. In 2007, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced its plans to spend more the $500 million over the next five years to reverse the increase in childhood obesity.
Children Now
Children Now is a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization working to raise children’s well-being to the top of the national policy agenda. The organization focuses on ensuring quality health care, a solid education and a positive media environment for all children. Children Now sponsors research using funds they receive from foundations.
For more information, contact Lori Harwood at 520-626-3846 • Editor