232000 Perceptions of the food marketing environment among African American adolescents and adults in Baltimore

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Wendy S. Bibeau, MEd , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Brit I. Saksvig, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Sonja Williams , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland- College Park, College Park, MD
Lindsey Jones , Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD
Deborah R. Young, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
     
BACKGROUND: Targeted marketing of unhealthful food products is a contributor to the obesity epidemic. However, perceptions of the food marketing environment among African American adults and adolescents have not been studied.

PURPOSE: To understand opinions of African American adults and adolescents regarding the food marketing environment and how it affects adolescent food purchases. Knowledge gained can be used to increase awareness of the impact of target marketing on adolescent food choices.

METHODS: Photovoice and subsequent focus group interviews were used to explore the sociocultural context of opinions related to food marketing of 12 African American adolescents (mean age 15.3 yrs) and 6 African American adults(mean age 43.0 yrs) living in Baltimore city. UCINET 6 and Netdraw were used to graphically depict the relationships between the most salient codes.

RESULTS: Adults perceived that marketing of place and social engagements were the most influencing factors on teens' food purchases. For adolescents, photos and discussions indicated that advertisements, convenience and price were the most salient factors. Focus group discussions indicated differing perceptions of the impact of the food marketing environment. Adults tended to assume that adolescent girls would be able to make healthy food choices, even unmonitored. However, the teen girls reported that cheap and convenient food options were the overriding factors in food purchases, regardless of nutritional benefit.

CONCLUSIONS: African American adults appear to perceive the food marketing environment differently than adolescents. Future interventions designed to influence the food marketing environment as a strategy to stop the obesity epidemic should consider how perceptions may differ by age.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify how ethnographic techniques can be used in exploring developing research areas. 2. Compare the opinions of African American adults and adolescents with respect to the food marketing environment. 3. Describe implications for interventions to improve dietary consumption and decrease child and adolescent obesity.

Keywords: Obesity, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I participated in the design and analysis of this work.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4274.0: Understanding food choices in African American communities: The first step in creating demand for change