What unhealthy food and beverage advertisements appeal to- and promote obesity amongst- adolescent children in urban South Africa?

This study investigated what food and beverage advertisements appeal to teenagers in South Africa and how they promote unhealthy eating. Researchers conducted focus groups with 49 boys and girls aged 14-16 from Johannesburg high schools and analysed 55 advertisements the teenagers found appealing. The study found that teenagers are drawn to advertisements featuring young adult characters and misrepresented food imagery, rather than the cartoons and bright colours used in child-directed marketing. The findings suggest that targeted advertising restrictions alone will not protect teenagers because they find appeals not directly aimed at them persuasive.

Key points

• Teenagers are attracted to advertisements featuring black, young adult characters (often same gender) doing 'grown-up' things
• Classic child-directed marketing features (cartoons, child characters, bright colours) no longer appeal to this age group
• Teenagers find advertisements with misrepresentations of bigger, better-looking food and for foods they already like appealing
• Participants did not consciously mention middle-class lifestyle depictions or gender stereotypes as appealing, though these featured in ads they identified as appealing
• Targeted advertising restrictions are likely ineffective; comprehensive bans on unhealthy food advertising are needed to protect teenagers

Limitations

The study is based on focus group discussions with a small sample (49 adolescents) from three Johannesburg high schools, so findings may not be generalizable to all South African adolescents or other contexts. The study identifies what advertisements appeal to teenagers but does not measure actual consumption outcomes or the causal impact of exposure to these advertisements on obesity rates.