Peer-reviewed article
Well-being and food: An identification of communication levers for child consumers
Valérie Hémar‐Nicolas, Pascale Ezan ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed article examines how food brands communicate well-being messages to children through advertising. Using positive psychology and analysis of advertising content, the study explores children's perspectives on how food contributes to well-being, including health, sensory pleasure, and social connection. The research suggests that effective communication should recognize children as active consumers with needs for autonomy, responsibility, and emotional connection.
Key points
- Food generates both objective and subjective well-being for children
- Well-being from food includes transient effects (immediate pleasure) and durable effects (lasting benefits)
- Children's well-being encompasses vitality, health, sensory pleasure, and social dimensions
- Effective brand communication should recognize children as actors in their own consumption
- Children's needs for autonomy, responsibility, and affective links are sources of food-related well-being
Limitations
This is a theoretical and communications analysis based on advertising content and positive psychology frameworks, not a study of actual child health or developmental outcomes. It does not evaluate whether food marketing practices actually improve children's nutrition, health, or well-being in measurable ways.
Abstract
While some food brands seek to deploy a well-being promise in their communications, this article aims to define the profile of a food well-being that respects young consumers’ needs. The study tackles the concept of well-being from a children-centered perspective, based on advertising content and analyzing children’s responses through the lens of positive psychology. It thus highlights how brands may promote food well-being toward children while respecting the child’s specificities. It shows that, from the children’s perspective, food generates objective and subjective as well as transient and durable well-being. While reminding us of the effect of food on vitality, health, sensory, and social pleasure, it specifically advocates considering the child as an actor of his/her food consumption and valuing his/her needs for autonomy, responsibility, and strong affective links as sources of well-being.