Oral

Young people currently grow up in an obesogenic environment that limits their ability to learn and practice behaviors that lay the foundation for a lifetime of good health. Suboptimal defaults in the U.S. food and nutrition environment often encourage obesity and poor diet in youth. Food marketing targeted to young people may be one of the least optimal defaults. The food industry spends over $1.6 billion every year to reach children and adolescents directly. Numerous studies document the poor nutritional quality of foods and beverages most often marketed to youth, including fast food, soft drinks, high-sugar breakfast cereals, and candy; and increasing empirical evidence demonstrates effects of this exposure on obesity and poor diet. Targeted marketing designed specifically to appeal to young people, including ethnic minority youth, raises critical issues of social justice. These practices exploit vulnerable populations, encourage poor diet, and exacerbate long-term health disparities. The food industry has responded to public concern with the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI): an industry self-regulatory program designed to change the “nutritional profile of food and beverage products in child-directed advertising.” However, recent studies question the efficacy of self-regulation by the food industry, and many public health experts call for increased government intervention.

Session Objectives: 1) Describe the latest research on young people’s exposure to food marketing, the types of media and marketing techniques commonly used, and the nutritional quality of the products promoted. 2) Discuss a framework to identify and assess targeted marketing to children, adolescents and ethnic minority youth. 3) Evaluate the impact of industry self-regulation through the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)