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Research has established that children’s exposure to television ads for non-nutritious food products is a significant risk factor contributing to childhood obesity. The aim of this project is to continue an ongoing, independent evaluation of a food industry self-regulatory program known as the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). Key research questions include: 1) How much food advertising is presented during children’s television programming? 2) What types of products are advertised to children? 3) What is the nutritional quality of foods advertised during children’s programming? 4) How well has self-regulation improved the nutritional quality of foods advertised to children? 5) Are licensed characters used strictly in advertising for healthy food products, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and other public health advocates? 6) How well do foods advertised to children comply with the proposed federal Interagency Working Group (IWG) guidelines on food marketed to children?
Start Date: October 2012
ID #: 70411
Principal Investigator: Dale Kunkel, PhD
Organization: University of Arizona
Funding Round: Round 7
Age Groups: Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Keywords: Fast food, Food advertising, Fruits and vegetables, Media, Nutrition standards, Restaurant, Snacks, Sugar-sweetened beverages
Focus Area: Food Marketing
Resource Type: Grant Summary
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