The impact of food advertisements on changing eating behaviors: An experimental study

Pimbucha Rusmevichientong, Nadia Streletskaya, Wansopin Amatyakul and Harry Kaiser

Food Policy, 2014, vol. 44, issue C, 59-67

Abstract: This research examines how three types of food advertising (healthy food, unhealthy food, and anti-obesity) impact consumers’ purchases of lunch items. The analysis is based on an economic experiment conducted with 186 adult non-undergraduate student subjects, each of which were randomly placed into either the control group or one of four treatments: (1) healthy food advertising, (2) anti-obesity advertising, (3) unhealthy food advertising, and (4) mixed (all three food) advertising. The results indicate that healthy, anti-obesity, and mixed food advertising reduced intakes of total calories, fat, sodium, and carbohydrates. Similarly, anti-obesity, healthy, and mixed food advertising results in increasing the probability of selecting more healthy items and fewer unhealthy items from a menu. Healthy food advertising has a stronger impact than anti-obesity or mixed food advertising.

Keywords: Food advertising; Experimental economics; Anti-obesity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:44:y:2014:i:c:p:59-67

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2013.10.011

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