A Hierarchy of Unhealthy Food Promotion Effects: Identifying Methodological Approaches and Knowledge Gaps
- 1 April 2015
- journal article
- review article
- Published by American Public Health Association in American Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 105 (4), e86-e95
- https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2014.302476
Abstract
We assessed the evidence for a conceptual “hierarchy of effects” of marketing, to guide understanding of the relationship between children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing and poor diets and overweight, and drive the research agenda. We reviewed studies assessing the impact of food promotions on children from MEDLINE, Web of Science, ABI Inform, World Health Organization library database, and The Gray Literature Report. We included articles published in English from 2009 to 2013, with earlier articles from a 2009 systematic review. We grouped articles by outcome of exposure and assessed outcomes within a framework depicting a hierarchy of effects of marketing exposures. Evidence supports a logical sequence of effects linking food promotions to individual-level weight outcomes. Future studies should demonstrate the sustained effects of marketing exposure, and exploit variations in exposures to assess differences in outcomes longitudinally.Keywords
This publication has 68 references indexed in Scilit:
- Food Marketing towards Children: Brand Logo Recognition, Food-Related Behavior and BMI among 3–13-Year-Olds in a South Indian TownPLOS ONE, 2012
- Food Commercials Increase Preference for Energy-Dense Foods, Particularly in Children Who Watch More TelevisionPediatrics, 2011
- Opening the black box: Understanding cross-media effectsJournal of Marketing Communications, 2011
- "Food company sponsors are kind, generous and cool": (Mis)conceptions of junior sports playersInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2011
- Associations of Television Content Type and Obesity in ChildrenAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2010
- The Food Marketing Defense Model: Integrating Psychological Research to Protect Youth and Inform Public PolicySocial Issues and Policy Review, 2009
- Testing the hierarchy of effects model: ParticipACTION's serial mass communication campaigns on physical activity in CanadaHealth Promotion International, 2009
- By how much would limiting TV food advertising reduce childhood obesity?European Journal of Public Health, 2009
- School Food Environments and Practices Affect Dietary Behaviors of US Public School ChildrenJournal of the American Dietetic Association, 2009
- Priming effects of television food advertising on eating behavior.Health Psychology, 2009