Exposure of Children to Unhealthy Food and Beverage Advertisements in South Africa

Daniel A. Yamoah, Jeroen De Man, Sunday O. Onagbiye and Zandile J. Mchiza
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Daniel A. Yamoah: School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Jeroen De Man: Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Sunday O. Onagbiye: Department of Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Zandile J. Mchiza: School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: Television (TV) is a powerful medium for marketing food and beverages. Food and beverage marketers tend to use this medium to target children with the hope that children will in turn influence their families’ food choices. No study has assessed the compliance of TV marketers with the South African Marketing to Children pledge since the enactment of the 2014 food advertising recommendations by the South African Department of Health and the Advertising Standards Authority. This study investigated the extent and nature of advertising of unhealthy versus healthy food and beverages to children in South African TV broadcasting channels. The date, time, type, frequency and target audience of food advertisements (ads) on four free-to-air South African TV channels were recorded and captured using a structured assessment guide. The presence of persuasive marketing techniques was also assessed. Unhealthy food and beverage advertising was recorded at a significantly higher rate compared with healthy food and beverages during the time frame when children were likely to be watching TV. Brand benefit claims, health claims and power strategies (e.g., advertising using cartoon characters and celebrated individuals) were used as persuasive strategies. These persuasive strategies were used more in unhealthy versus healthy food ads. The findings are in breach of the South African Marketing to Children pledge and suggest a failure of the industry self-regulation system. We recommend the introduction of monitored and enforced statutory regulations to ensure healthy TV food advertising space.

Keywords: unhealthy food advertisement; obesity; children; South Africa; self-regulation; persuasive techniques; alcohol; food marketers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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