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Current Nutrition Reports
Published in: Current Nutrition Reports 3/2016

01-09-2016 | Cardiovascular Disease (JHY Wu, Section Editor)

The Impact of Marketing and Advertising on Food Behaviours: Evaluating the Evidence for a Causal Relationship

Authors: Jennifer Norman, Bridget Kelly, Emma Boyland, Anne-T McMahon

Published in: Current Nutrition Reports | Issue 3/2016

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Abstract

The prevention of overweight in childhood is paramount to long-term heart health. Food marketing predominately promotes unhealthy products which, if over-consumed, will lead to overweight. International health expert calls for further restriction of children’s exposure to food marketing remain relatively unheeded, with a lack of evidence showing a causal link between food marketing and children’s dietary behaviours and obesity an oft-cited reason for this policy inertia. This direct link is difficult to measure and quantify with a multiplicity of determinants contributing to dietary intake and the development of overweight. The Bradford Hill Criteria provide a credible framework by which epidemiological studies may be examined to consider whether a causal interpretation of an observed association is valid. This paper draws upon current evidence that examines the relationship between food marketing, across a range of different media, and children’s food behaviours, and appraises these studies against Bradford Hill’s causality framework.
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Metadata
Title
The Impact of Marketing and Advertising on Food Behaviours: Evaluating the Evidence for a Causal Relationship
Authors
Jennifer Norman
Bridget Kelly
Emma Boyland
Anne-T McMahon
Publication date
01-09-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Nutrition Reports / Issue 3/2016
Electronic ISSN: 2161-3311
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-016-0166-6

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